


Nine Lives

by Ageofavalon



Series: Nine Lives: The Miscellanea [1]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Claustrophobia, Darkness, Fake Character Death, Family Bonding, Gen, Head Injury, Illusions, Injury, Linked Universe, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), LinkedUniverse, Magic, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Pain, Snow and Ice, Survival, Swearing, Team as Family, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Torture, so much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2019-12-18 13:08:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 51,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ageofavalon/pseuds/Ageofavalon
Summary: Wild has lost too many people to let anyone else he loves be hurt.Pain comes in many forms.





	1. Wind

**Author's Note:**

> LinkedUniverse stole my soul and took over my mind. These ridiculous boys will be the end of me.
> 
> The Linked Universe is the wonderful creation of Jojo, found here at https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com. All glory be to Jojo for their truly amazing work and for letting us play in the sandbox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LinkedUniverse stole my soul and took over my mind. These ridiculous boys will be the end of me.
> 
> The Linked Universe is the wonderful creation of Jojo, found here at https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com. All glory be to Jojo for their truly amazing work and for letting us play in the sandbox.
> 
> EDIT: Now with truly fabulous fanart by the amazingly talented DF-Chan: https://dfanart.tumblr.com/post/185867810577/nine-lives-by-ageofavalon-is-my-favourite

At first, it looked like the land had merely shifted again.

 

Walking through a damp stone cave only to turn a corner and emerge into blazing sunlight wasn’t a wholly unfamiliar experience for the nine travelers. The ground under their feet changed fairly often and with no warning, bringing them into another heroes time at what could only be the whims of the Goddess. Sometimes it took them awhile to figure out which world they were in, as each Hyrule had an abundance of forest and wide open plains, but this was still a normal occurrence.

 

The difference was this time that one of them immediately knew where they were.

 

“Guys...GUYS!!! It’s my world!”

 

Wind had charged past the rest of the group and was legging it up the beach, spinning back to face them briefly while attempting to run backwards on the sand.

 

“COME ON, FOLLOW ME! You guys are going to love this place, I can’t wait to show you everything...”

 

His enthusiasm was infectious, and they were all soon following Wind towards a well-worn path trailing between cosy wooden houses.

 

But any village, located on a peaceful island or otherwise, is never usually silent.

 

The group instinctively slowed their pace as they reached the first house, the sheer eeriness of a completely soundless atmosphere becoming more and more unsettling. Any small hope this might be just a strange quirk of Wind’s time was shattered by the growing distress on their youngest comrades face. Something was badly wrong here.

 

The first splash of blood, the first corpse huddled against a stone wall, was a horrific confirmation of this.

 

Wind froze, staring around him for one second, then two - before all colour drained from his face and he sprinted towards a house set slightly further up the island.

 

The others followed, eyes catching on increasingly gruesome sights as they ran - people and animals butchered in the street, corpses hanging over the edge of balconies, blood soaked into the earth and staining wooden doors a dull crimson. The entire island was a slaughterhouse. But no buildings were destroyed, no damage done to the environment, only the living beings. Wild was used to a ruined world that had seen nearly an entire population slaughtered, and this didn't seem to fit quite right. Something wasn't adding up here, but the answer was dancing out of reach as so much of his concentration was dedicated to staying with the group sprinting further inland.

 

Ahead of them all, racing towards his home, Wind caught his breath enough to scream.

 

“GRANDMA?! ARYLL?!?”

 

He reached the ramp leading to his front door, threw himself up it and was halfway into his house before the bloodstains caught his attention.

 

Each of his friends skidded to a halt at the bottom of the ramp. There was nothing they could do but watch Wind as he hung half in and half out of the open doorway, staring blankly at the bloody handprints catching on the doorframe and dragging along the outside walls. Could only observe helplessly as he followed them around the corner onto the deck like a grisly treasure chart.

 

**_X marks the spot, little hero._ **

 

A hollow thump was the thing to break Wild free of his hesitation, charging up onto the wooden slats with the others half a step behind him. They spilled onto the deck, slowly approaching Wind where he had fallen to his knees before a limp body. Blood coated the planks under the prone form in a streaky cross.

 

Wind knelt, numb, hand outstretched and hovering inches from his Grandma’s face. He’d never seen someone so twisted in pain before this moment. He wanted to run away. He wanted to close her eyes where they stared straight into his own, cloudy with death. He wanted to find whatever had caused this destruction, this torture, and rip it in half with his bare hands. He did none of these things, didn’t even move until Legend knelt down next to him and took his outstretched hand in his own. This was enough to jolt Wind out of his stupor and take in more of the world around him.

 

Seven teammates stood around him, faces etched with horror. One knelt next to him with a far too understanding expression, similar memories of a blood soaked house and a dying relative fighting their way to the surface. Wind couldn’t bear the sympathy on Legend’s face, searching desperately for something, _anything_ else to focus on…

 

A muffled cry from Hyrule caught his attention. He was staring at a nearby palm tree, hands clapped over his mouth to stop any further noise escaping. Everyone followed his gaze, Wind choking on nothing as he realised what he was looking at.

 

Tetra, pinned to the trunk about halfway up by a black sword. Her face was pulled into an eternal grimace as her body rotted in the sunlight, skin grotesquely drooping from her bones. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets and dried blood coated her chin and chest, soaked into her clothes.

 

It took a moment for Wind to realise the high pitched noise piercing the still air was coming from him.

 

Aryll.

 

He needed to find Aryll.

 

...wait...

 

Wind ripped himself out of Legend’s hold, stumbling to the railings so he could see the shoreline more clearly. Something small and blonde and blue was lying at the water's edge.

 

The shouts from his friends and a gasped curse from Wild ( _he got it, he figured it out)_ didn’t reach him at all as Wind threw himself off the deck, rolling to his feet purely out of muscle memory and sprinted towards the small figure rolling in the surf. He reached her just as eight sets of boots hit the sand behind him. Wind tried to roll her over, mind completely blank as he reached out to wipe the sand from her face.

 

His fingers caught in her eye sockets. Water spilled from her mouth, bloated her body, skin unnaturally white and sodden.

 

Wind was screaming, wordless, a pure animal noise of pain.

 

He didn’t stop until the cloak and hood fell over his face, blocking the view of his dead sister and shocking him enough for a calloused hand to pull him back and around.

 

“Breathe, Wind. Listen to me.” Wild. Wild’s cloak. Wild’s hand on his shoulder, holding the hood edge over his eyes so he couldn’t see. Wild’s voice, rarely heard, soft but demanding attention.

 

“This isn’t real.” Yes it was. His island was ravaged, his family murdered, Aryll…

 

“Think. Your eyes can be tricked, so can your other senses, but it’s harder to fool all of them at once. What do your senses tell you right now?”

 

Almost without thought, Wind clutched the hood pulled over his face. He shook his head in denial, of course this was real, Wild was wrong, his family was dead, Aryll was rolling in the waves…

 

The waves.

 

Wind couldn’t hear the waves.

 

The whole island was soundless. No ocean roar, no rustling trees, no gulls crying. He could hear his own sobs catching in his throat. He could hear Wild’s steady breathing. He could hear the others, equipment and clothes rustling from where they must be watching what was going on. He couldn’t hear anything else.

 

He could feel tears sliding down his face but he couldn’t feel the sand under his knees or the sea soaking his trousers.

 

The air tasted stale and musty. All he could smell was forest and woodsmoke from Wild’s hood.

 

Wind lifted his head. The sun was in his eyes, but he didn’t need to blink or shield them in any way. He stared at Wild, taking in his forced-calm expression and the tension that usually only came whenever they touched him unexpectedly. Wind could feel the tightness of his grip where he held Wind’s shoulder.

 

Reality versus illusion.

 

“This isn’t real.”

 

With that soft declaration from Wind, the pretence shattered. Fire roared up to consume houses and trees, making all of them jump with it’s sudden appearance. As the island burned away, unnaturally fast, the ocean raced to meet it. Waves crashed over their heads, flames exploded…

 

And they were all back in the cave, water dripping somewhere in the distance. Inky smoke seeped back into the cracks in the stone walls, mission achieved for now.

 

As the others rushed forward to check on him, pull him into hugs and comfort him, Wind could do nothing but stare at where his sister's corpse had been moments before.

 

—-

 

In the deepest, calmest hours of the night, the camp was mostly still. Of the nine only three remained awake. Watch had fallen to Legend, who was seated on the edge of the circle of firelight and fingering the holes of his ocarina as he trained his eyes and ears into the shadows of the forest around them. Sleep wouldn’t have come easily to him that night, and volunteering for watch was as close as he was going to get to keeping old memories at bay.

 

Closer to the fire, Wind struggled to settle as he had done since the group had set up camp in the clearing hours before. Beside him, pressed close from snout to tail, was Wolfie. Wind buried his fingers into the deep, soft fur of his friend and tried to steady his breathing.

 

He couldn’t shake the sheer horror of what he had seen, never mind that it had all been an illusion _specifically designed to terrify and unsettle him._ Intellectually he knew that, and dwelling on it would only leave him exhausted and distracted. Easy pickings for monsters or anything stalking the group. A weakness in the team.

 

But as much as Wind couldn’t bear to let the others down, didn’t want to feel weak or spend more time in tears over what was essentially a very realistic hallucination, he also _couldn’t stop thinking about it_. Aryll’s body rolled over and over by the waves that licked at the shoreline, her face crusted with sand and her eyes eaten away. Grandma crumpled against the floor of their balcony with her face twisted forever in pain. Tetra, dried blood on what was left of her skin. Their home in flames, yet sinking below the waves.

 

Wind bit back another hiccuping sob, clutching at Wolfie’s fur. Even after hours of being Wind’s glorified pillow, Wolfie refused to move away. He seemed to be waiting for Wind to calm, maybe even for him to fall asleep. Nuzzling into Wind and licking at his cheeks to dry his tears. Wind wasn’t sure what he would have done without Wolfie there that night.

 

The others had all tried to help, obviously. They had all lost people in the past, and regardless of whether it had been some malevolent force preying on hidden fears or not they were not going to leave anyone to suffer alone.

 

The only problem was that Wind hadn’t known what to ask for, and the others hadn’t really known how to set about helping him heal. Many of them had seen and even battled things that weren’t really there, and none of them could say they’d ever been able to fully recover from past illusion-based trauma. They all carried those experiences with them even now, but were willing to draw on the memories to try and help their youngest teammate with varying levels of success. 

 

Legend had quietly told him of a ravaged home and death of his only family, murmuring his own story as they had made their way back out of the caves surrounded by seven extra paranoid, overly protective warriors. It was the most Legend had spoken about anything so serious, and Wind couldn’t manage to dredge up anything to acknowledge or answer him. Thankfully Legend seemed to understand, and didn’t try and engage him in conversation, just continued to fill the silence with quiet, more lighthearted tales from his adventures while their friends led them back out under the open sky.

 

Warrior had flopped down next to him when they had reached last night’s campsite, looked at him consideringly for a moment and offered his hip flask in a very matter of fact way. This had achieved nothing but Sky having a very incredulous aneurysm and Warrior getting smacked upside the head by Time. Wind hadn’t been able to react in any meaningful way, his whole being numb and cold.

 

Wild had just sat with him, silent and just _there_. He hadn’t taken back his cloak and hood, leaving Wind curled within them and trying to focus only on the presence of his friend next to him and the comforting darkness of the hood pulled over his eyes. That had been the most helpful thing until Wolfie turned up and leant against Wind’s other side. Between the ridiculous warmth of a giant wolf pressed into his body, Wild’s silent support and the familiar sounds of camp being constructed around them, Wind had settled enough to pretend to eat dinner and go to bed without worrying anyone too much (so he thought). He had even managed to fake sleep until everyone else was settled in their bedrolls.

 

Now though, with the rest of the night ahead of him and sleep far out of reach, Wind was at a loss. He was somehow both heavy and restless, exhausted and jittery at once. He had made Wolfie’s fur stick up in new and bizarre ways as a result of the tossing and turning he’d gone through so far that night. The tears were most likely to blame as well, if he was being honest with himself.

 

Wolfie whuffed quietly, shifting slightly under Wind’s hands to curl closer around him.

 

This was ridiculous. Wind sat up slowly, Wolfie sitting up with him and giving him a very concerned look as Wind scrubbed across his face with one sleeve. Letting out a wobbly, near silent laugh, Wind scritched behind Wolfie’s left ear.

 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t be keeping you up. You can go if you want to, i’ll be okay.”

 

His voice was rough from crying and nearly inaudible, but Wind knew Wolfie had heard him when said companion gave him a stern, flat stare that Time would have been proud of. Combined with an attempt to nose him back down into his bedroll. Wind managed to avoid being pushed flat and instead scooted back a bit, searching for something across the camp. Wolfie followed his gaze curiously.

 

About ten feet away lay Wild. Curled into a ball in his own bedroll, somehow tense even in sleep, his face creased into a frown made more obvious by the firelight dancing over his skin and painting his scars a violent gold. Sleep was very rarely peaceful for him.

 

Wind had tensed as well, twisting his fingers in the fabric of the black cloak draped over his shoulders. Wolfie watched as Wind bit his lip, staring at Wild’s sleeping form, before he appeared to make his mind up about something.

 

Wind struggled out of his bedroll, tugging his blankets out from under the confused wolf next to him, and gathered his bedding up in his arms. Shooting a glance at Legend’s back (fully aware of what was going on behind him but choosing to ignore it in hopes that the youngest of them would actually get some sleep tonight) Wind crept over to Wild’s bedroll. At which point his impulsive plan had lost momentum, and so he just ended up hovering awkwardly next to his friend with an armful of blankets and feeling increasingly guilty the longer he stood there. Misery and shame appeared right on que, leaving Wind staring at Wild’s sleeping face and failing to stop himself from crying again.

 

\---

 

Wild had a finely honed sense for something being _off_. It had saved his arse many times in the past, and doubtless would many times again, but rarely did it appear in non-life threatening situations. Which is why it was slightly odd to be pulled from sleep with the sense that he wasn’t in danger but something wasn’t _right_.

 

Wild didn’t even fully wake up, which on later reflection was even more odd. Life in the wilderness (and likely his former life as a knight) had trained him to be instantly up and alert on waking, but this time he was still half asleep and mostly out of it. The full details of the situation were lost on him for once, not fully registering Wind standing over him with tears running down his face or Twilight (in Wolf form) trotting up with a concerned whine.

 

Wild only registered _small, blonde, upset_ and instinct borne of long-forgotten memories took over from there, uncurling fully to lay on his side and lifting up his blanket invitingly.

 

Awareness slammed into him roughly the same time as Wind did, full consciousness returning to his mind as the air was knocked out of him and a smaller body burrowed itself into his chest. Wild couldn’t help but jolt and tense up, but any protest was halted in its tracks by a quiet sniffle around the region of his collarbone. Wind had buried his face into Wild’s neck, fingers tangled in the fabric of his shirt. He was also crying very softly.

 

Wild froze, just for a second, before ever so slowly lowering his arm from where it still held the corner of his blanket in the air. He wrapped his arm around Wind’s shoulders, pulling the blanket around him and enclosing him in the warmth of his bedroll before looking up at Twilight.

 

Twilight was sat close to them amongst the scattered blankets Wind had dropped. He glanced between them, his expression as soft and worried as it would have been had he been in human form. He’d done what he could, Legend too and the others of course but Wind needed something - _someone_ else right now. Wild had been the one to pull him out of his panic, to help him think the situation through and break the illusion; right now, Wind needed Wild.

 

Thankfully by now Wild was proficient in pointed looks from his sometimes-a-wolf mentor - the current look was _HUG HIM FOR HYLIA’S SAKE_. Wild returned that look with a flat one of his own - _OBVIOUSLY_ \- before turning his attention to the teenager still crying damply into his neck. Shifting slightly onto his back to free his other arm, Wild cautiously pulled Wind closer and held him tightly. Having someone pressed against him like this was incredibly strange and Wild was having to fight not to tense up again, an effort that felt well worth it when Wind’s sobs started to lessen. Encouraged, Wild hooked his chin over Wind’s head and started to stroke his hand slowly up and down his friends back.

 

It was working. Slowly, slowly, Wind’s tears petered out. His death grip on Wild’s shirt relaxed, the lingering horror from earlier that day gradually dissipated, chased away by the soothing repetitive motion of Wild’s hand up and down his spine and the steady rise and fall of his chest under Wind’s hands. Long minutes later exhaustion finally claimed him, and Wind fell asleep calmer than he had been in what felt like days, numbness retreating for now.

 

Wild continued to stroke his friends back until he was sure Wind was deeply asleep. His neck was hot and sticky with tears and it was a little harder to breathe than he would have liked with another person collapsed half on top of him but it was somehow also _nice._ There was a certain sense of accomplishment that came from being able to offer someone comfort, and a little extra something that came from initiating contact for once rather than rejecting it outright. Even with the circumstances, Wind had come to him for comfort, and he couldn’t help but take some pride in that.

 

A rumble from Twilight brought Wild’s attention back to his mentor. Twilight had nosed Wind’s dropped bedding out of the way and had settled down with the two boys, pressed against Wind’s side. He leaned over Wind’s body to give Wild a quick nuzzle and a look so full of pride that Wild’s heart soared, before flopping onto his stomach and dozing off.

 

A movement in the edge of his vision caught Wild’s attention, but thankfully it was only Legend. He’d swung himself round to face them and was eyeing the cuddle pile with an odd expression. When he noticed he had Wild’s attention, he tilted his head in question and held up a hand to sign.

 

_Okay?_

 

Wild’s confusion must have shown on his face because this time Legend lifted both hands to sign something.

 

 _He’s okay for now?_ A pause, and then _You okay with him?_

 

Wild took a second to think about it, glancing at the teenager in his arms who was starting to snore a little, and the wolf sprawled just behind him. He gave a small smile, and signed back to Legend.

 

_We’ll be fine. Thank you._

 

He was rewarded with a rare, non-sarcastic grin from Legend, along with a snarky parting comment as he stood up to run a quick patrol.

 

_You three look ridiculous by the way._

 

In fairness, three beings piled into one bedroll and surrounded by scattered blankets was always going to look ridiculous. Wild rolled his eyes good-naturedly at that as Legend disappeared from view.

 

Draping one hand back across Wind’s shoulders and resting the other in the small of his back, Wild closed his eyes. It wasn’t anywhere near as difficult as he thought it would be to drift back off to sleep, feeling nothing but warmth and safety in the closeness of his friends.

 

—-

 

Once the sun had risen, the other heroes were quick to notice the adorable scene - Wind drooling into Wild’s chest, Wild holding him close in sleep and an exhausted looking Twilight (human again in deference to his secret) keeping watch over the two of them with a smile on his face. The camp was oddly quiet that morning, no one wanting to disturb the two sleeping boys.

 

An hour or so later when everyone was up, dressed and the group were back on the road, Wild opened his Sheikah Slate to check something and accidentally swiped across into his photos. The newest picture (taken by Legend as he later found out) was a birds-eye shot of the three of them, lit only by the fire and pre-dawn light, tucked under Wild’s blankets.

 

Wolf-Twilight had curled into ball at some point after falling asleep on the edge of Wild’s bedroll, tail over his nose and one of Wind's blankets tugged over his back. Said teenager was mostly flopped over Wild and clearly snoring. One small bare foot was kicked out of the blankets and onto the grass. Wild was sprawled flat on his back with his unbound hair fanning out above his head in a golden halo. All three of them were relaxed and peaceful, surrounded by Wind’s discarded bedding and sporting some truly incredible bedhead.

Wild stood looking at the picture for long seconds before the others shouted for him to catch up, and he ran back up to the group with a grin on his face.

 

They really did look ridiculous.

 

—-

 

Wind never lost that insidious little edge of numb, nagging fear until, between one breath and the next, the forest path of Hyrule’s time gave way to the golden sands of Outset Island. The sudden change in landscape had the whole group tripping over themselves and stumbling onto the beach. Wind was the only one who managed to stay steady on his feet, staring around him as the sights and sounds of _home_ hit him like a speeding train.

 

Wild was on his feet and doing a headcount of the group when he realised Wind had stopped a few feet ahead. Leaving the rest of the boys grumbling and shaking sand out of their clothes, he made his way up to their youngest teammate.

 

Wind was frozen. He’d kicked his boots off and buried his feet ankle-deep into the sand, and when Wild came up next to him, he scrunched his eyes shut. The two of them stood there together listening to the wind and waves, highlighted in gold by the dawn’s rays. The others hung back, not wanting to interrupt.

 

Wind took a deep, shaky breath and reached for Wild’s hand. Salty air, warm gentle wind, coarse sand, lapping waves and once he opened his eyes it sure _looked_ like home…

 

“I think…” Wind squeezed Wild’s fingers and looked up at him with a watery smile. Wild gave him a gentle grin in return, nodding in confirmation.

 

Wind twisted round to face the rest of the group.

 

“Welcome to Outset Island, guys”

 

He only caught a glimpse of relief and answering smiles on the rest of the team’s faces before the air was split by a shrill cry -

 

“BIG BROTHER!”

 

-and Wind whipped back around so quickly he lost his footing, Wild catching his sleeve to steady him but Wind couldn’t bring himself to care because Aryll was racing as fast as she could towards them, telescope abandoned on the ground behind her near the lookout, and Wind was running to meet her…

 

They slammed together where the sand met the grass, Wind hauling her into his arms and swinging her round in the air as she shrieked in joy. He slowed his spin, clutching her tightly to him as he set her back on the ground. Aryll couldn’t stay still, she was practically vibrating with joy and talking at a million miles an hour about how much she’d missed him and how happy Grandma would be to see him and had he liked her pictures? The top of her head bumped his chin as she bounced in his arms, kicking sand up in clouds behind her.

 

Wind couldn’t do anything but hold her, but bury his face into her hair and breathe her in. Her hair was sun-warm and longer than when he’d seen her last, she’d had a growth spurt and she was wearing her purple skull dress from her time on Tetra’s ship with the pirates. Tetra had admitted one evening when they had returned to visit that it used to be hers, “back when I was a little shrimp like you”. Aryll had found this brilliant and according to his Grandma’s letters had gone around telling everyone she was wearing Pirate Captain’s clothes for a solid month. The dress left her shins bare now.

 

Wind didn’t realised he was crying.

 

“...Big brother? Link? Are you okay?” A worried little voice broke through the fog in his mind.

 

Wind pulled back to hold her at arm's length and found, all of a sudden, that smiling was coming more easily now. He scrubbed his sleeve across his eyes and sniffed a bit, meeting Aryll’s worried gaze.

 

“Yeah, I’m alright. Just really happy to see you. And really glad to be home.”

 

He could hear his village waking up behind him, people spilling out onto the pathway to see what all the fuss was about. Somewhere in the distance someone was shouting for his Grandma, and she was calling back in her wavery ( _alive, she’s fine too_ ) voice. Wind tore his eyes away from Aryll to look over at the rest of the team - his family as well _,_ now more than ever - standing and watching the reunion from a distance. All of them looked fond and happy, relaxed in the early morning light. Wild was giving him the biggest smile that Wind could ever remember seeing on his face.

 

The last little piece of numbness clinging to his brain started to melt away.

 

Wind laughed, shocking himself, and turned back to his sister to take her hand and start to lead her down the beach.

 

“Hey, Aryll, there’s some people I want you to meet.”

 

She was going to love having eight more brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FORGIVE ME I PROMISE THEY AREN'T ALL THIS GORY AND MISERABLE
> 
> Please let me know how i'm doing, I've never been this inspired to write fic before and I can't wait to get to the rest of the boys.


	2. Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even without magic, Nature can be as deadly as any enemy.
> 
> With magic, pain is almost inevitable.
> 
> But not knowing what to do is the worst kind of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took ages to write for some reason, I'm sorry about the wait. My mental health took a downturn at the same time as my physical health and the last two weeks have been horrendous.
> 
> ...
> 
> Well, time to hurt Twilight! Also Time is in this a lot, so I hope everyone likes the mentor/protege dynamic because hot damn.
> 
> EDIT: Now with truly fabulous fanart by the amazingly talented DF-Chan: https://dfanart.tumblr.com/post/186284681167/nine-lives-by-ageofavalon-a-fic-set-in-linked

\---

The storm had appeared out of nowhere

 

They had been travelling through yet another forest - they hadn’t yet figured out whose time this was - when the first drops of rain had fallen from the overcast sky.

 

The entire group groaned in unison.

 

“Seriously? Again?” Legend threw his hands up in frustration. “We’ve got to be back in Wild’s Hyrule, this is the fourth time in two days.”

 

Wild shook his head, tugging his hood up and hanging his slate back at his waist from where he’d been checking it.

 

“Not mine, still no signal.”

 

“Look for somewhere to wait it out. Hopefully it’ll be as short as the other three were, but if not we can set up camp early.” Time ordered from the front of the group. Everyone nodded or shouted an affirmative as they spread out into the more sparsely wooded area around them. The tree cover grew thinner and thinner until it stopped completely a fair distance from the bottom of a cliff face, and the rapidly fading light gave their surroundings a dull, washed out look.

 

As soon as everyone was spread out far enough, the sky went suddenly dark.

 

The rain snapped abruptly from a drizzle to a downpour, startling everyone. The wind picked up immediately, driving the torrential rain into their eyes. The first bolt of lightning split the sky, a thunderous boom following a second later.

 

No normal storm came on that quickly.

 

Time had thrown himself under a tree as soon as the lightning flashed overhead. It wasn’t safe, he knew, but none of them were safe with an electrical storm on top of them and a huge amount of metal objects on their person. He tried desperately to find any of the others, shouting for them and squinting through the trees, but the driving rain and howling wind made that an impossible task.

 

Luckily, someone found him instead. Sky threw himself under the cover of the leaves, followed by Twilight a split second later. As Sky tried desperately to catch his breath, braced against the trunk of the tree, Twilight grabbed his mentors arm.

 

“WHERE ARE THE OTHERS?” Time shouted as another fork of lightning flashed above them. This time the thunder had been even louder and closer, it was getting more and more dangerous out in the open.

 

“I’LL FIND THEM, TAKE SKY AND HEAD THAT WAY” Twilight pointed off into the distance near where the cliff side had been. “THERE’S A CAVE, I’LL MEET YOU THERE”.

 

Time didn’t get a chance to answer as Twilight spun round and dove into back out into the storm. He just about saw a furry tail and two back legs disappear through the trees before the wind changed direction again and sheets of rain obscured the sight. Time stared after him for a second before mentally shaking himself and turning back to Sky, who was hovering next to the tree trunk with his sailcloth held over his head in an attempt to shield his eyes.

 

“WITH ME,” Time grabbed Sky’s forearm, forcing him to drop the cloth back around his shoulders. “STAY WITH ME, RUN STRAIGHT AHEAD”. He waited just long enough for Sky to nod before tugging them both out from under the tree and sprinting in the direction Twilight had indicated. They sped across the clearing towards the cliff face, skidding on waterlogged grass and nearly slamming into stone after twenty long, terrifying seconds under the open sky. Time pulled them along the cliff-side, desperately searching for an opening until his hand slipped into a gap and they were then suddenly, mercifully, safe.

 

The cave was pitch black, but another lightning flash revealed it to be fairly wide, extending far back into the cliff, with a high ceiling and most importantly _dry_. Sky had collapsed to the floor as soon as they were inside and Time could hear his harsh panting now they were out of the gale-force winds. He stood and fumbled his way over to where Sky sat, nearly tripping over him in the darkness.

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

“No, just winded. Hate running…” Sky was interrupted by the appearance of Legend who slammed into the floor next to him, having thrown himself into the cave.

 

“Ugh...goddess-damned storm, can’t believe this…” Legend’s voice trailed off into harsh mumbling before there was the sound of flint striking and then suddenly, light.

 

Legend held up the lantern, scanning the cave as Sky and Time shielded their eyes from the sudden brightness, before finding a protrusion in the cave wall to hang it from. The glow of the candle inside cast long shadows and revealed the three heroes to each other in all their dripping wet glory.

 

“Did you see anyone else?” Time asked as Legend started to strip off his wet tunic.

 

“Nope, only the wolf. Bashed into my legs and dragged me halfway here. Once I saw the cave he ran off. He’s probably the only one that can see anything in all this rain, hopefully he’s rounding everyone up.” Legend shifted towards the back of the cave to get a fire going.

 

Sky stared out into the rain as he started to strip out of his own wet tunic. “I didn’t even see him turn up. You think between Wolfie and Twilight everyone will get here soon? That lightning has me worried…”

 

“It hasn't moved any further away either. This has to be magical in origin…” Time’s voice cut out as he moved closer to the cave entrance, just in time to catch Wind who had tripped as he ran inside. Hyrule followed close behind him, shivering and heading straight for the large fire Legend had got going. Time got Wind steady on his feet and pushed him gently in that direction as well, just in time to be nearly knocked off his feet by Warrior. Four slipped inside a minute or two later and was quickly pulled next to the fire by Sky to warm up. All the while the storm raged, wind howling around the entrance to their sanctuary. Lightning struck several times while they were waiting for Wild and Twilight, one strike setting a tree ablaze briefly before the downpour extinguished the flames.

 

Finally around five minutes later as Time was shedding his armour to go out and _look_ for their two missing teammates, magical storm be damned, Wild shot through the cave entrance. He’d come from the opposite direction most of the others had and was wearing a very odd outfit, pale yellow earrings set in silver and a set of black and dark grey clothes in some unfamiliar material.

 

“Are you alright?” Time moved forward to grasp Wild’s arm. The clothing squeaked strangely as Wild moved to face him, pushing tangled blonde hair off his face.

 

"Fine, managed to avoid getting hit."

 

"Where’s Twilight?"

 

“I haven’t seen him, he’s not here?” Wild took in the scene before him, their six friends huddled around a fire with wet clothes and bags draped across boulders and outcroppings to dry.

 

“He’s been guiding us here. How did you find us if he didn’t find you?”

 

“Got turned around in the storm, saw the lantern. We’ve got to…”

 

Wild was cut off by the biggest fork of lightning yet, striking the ground about a hundred feet from the cave entrance. The deafening thunder echoed throughout the cave, bouncing off the walls, while the lightning threw everything into sharp relief for a split second.

 

Among the echoes of the thunder was an animal's scream of pain.

 

Silhouetted in the lightning’s glare was a wolf.

 

Wild was moving before anyone had fully realised what was happening, ripping out of Time’s hold and throwing himself back into the storm. He disappeared instantly. Time’s hands went to the rest of his armour, yanking it off. He broke more than one strap in his haste but he didn’t even register it, Twilight was hurt and _he needed to get to him_ but just as the last piece of plate armour clattered to the cave floor Wild staggered back into the entrance. Wolf-Twilight was draped across his shoulders, unconscious.

 

One of his front legs was burnt black.

 

Time was there in a heartbeat, taking half of his protégé’s weight. Together he and Wild set Twilight down closer to the fire, flat out on his side. Twilight’s fur started steaming in the heat. In the light of the fire the wounded leg was a horrifying sight. The world around him faded away as Time stared, hands hovering over his fallen student, desperate to do something, _anything._ Rarely had he felt so helpless.

 

The lightning had struck the manacle Twilight still wore in his wolf form around his left leg. The fur around it had been singed, the acrid stench of burnt hair and flesh filling the cave. The skin was charred and weeping, splitting to reveal blackened muscle speckled with white and oozing clear liquid.

 

The manacle was fused to the flesh.

 

Time didn’t know what to do.

 

Sound and sense abruptly slammed back into him as Four skidded down next to them, an armful of potions and bandages cradled to his chest. The others were frantically crowding round them or rummaging through bags looking for more items to help.

 

“What the hell happened?!?”

 

“I’ve never seen a burn that bad…”

 

“Goddess, Twilight is still out there, what if it hits him too?!”

 

“These are the strongest potions we have right now, topical and internal.” Four shoved a potion into Time’s limp hand, moving to uncork another before Wild stopped him.

 

“Potions don’t work, not when he’s in this form.” He took a deep breath and looked Time right in the eye, face set and determined. “We have to turn him back”

 

No.

 

“No.” It was weak, shaky, and Time couldn’t care less. The idea of exposing Twilight like that…

 

“We have to. We can’t heal him like this. He can yell at me later, but he has to wake up first.”

 

The very idea that Twilight could die, could be dying right now while they had no way to help him, was a horrifying one. Lightning strikes could prove fatal, did prove fatal, water and metal only made that more likely. Even if it wasn’t a direct strike, lightning caused serious, often lifelong injuries.

 

It had hit Twilight dead on.

 

Everyone except Four looked so confused, anxiously waiting for something to happen. Four was conflicted, twisting the potion bottle in his hands, ready to follow Time’s lead.

 

Wild was still staring at him, desperate yet resolute.

 

Between them, Twilight whimpered. Even unconscious he was in so much pain.

 

There was no other choice.

 

“Do it.”

 

The last syllable hadn’t even left his lips before Wild plunged his fingers into the thick fur on Twilight’s forehead, and _pulled._

 

The stone came away in his hand, falling on it’s slender chain to Twilight’s suddenly human chest.

 

All noise in the cave screeched to a halt.

 

Twilight was pale, clammy, cold, breathing fast and shallowly, as soaking wet as the rest of them.

 

His forearm was mangled, charred nearly beyond recognition. The edges of the wound still wept with blood and plasma, the cloth of his shirtsleeve mostly burnt away.

 

“...What the fuck?”

 

Wind’s voice broke the shocked silence that had fallen among the group. Four yanked the cork out of his potion, moving to pour it over Twilight’s arm. Time had pulled the pup halfway into his lap, manoeuvring him to get his own potion down Twilight’s throat, wincing at the bruising forming around his student’s eyes and ears. Wild was stripping belts and accessories off Twilight’s person, intent on getting access to any further wounds caused by the lightning’s path through his mentor’s body.

 

Everyone else was losing their minds.

 

“HOW?!?”

 

“SINCE WHEN HAS HE BEEN THE GODDAMNED WOLF?”

 

“HE’S BEEN WOLFIE THIS WHOLE TIME?”

 

“I’M GOING TO KILL HIM, I SWEAR TO HYLIA…”

 

Wild’s voice broke through the cacophony of shrieking heroes.

 

**“YELL LATER, HELP NOW.”**

 

Wild bore the most violent expression any of them had ever seen. He was frantic and feral in the firelight, still dripping wet. His hands were shaking slightly as he helped Time strip Twilight out of his tunic and chain-mail, avoiding the injured arm as best they could.

 

His face was bloodless, as pale as Twilight’s. He looked almost spectral in his worry.

 

Warrior broke off first, dropping down on his knees next to Four, helping manoeuvre the burnt arm though the layers of Twilight’s clothing and drawing a knife to slit the remaining fabric of his shirt sleeve up towards the shoulder. They needed better access to the wound.

 

Legend spun round, snarling, and went straight for his bag to find more bandages. He handed them to Four, and hovered behind them all, fidgeting and muttering under his breath. His fingers worried the edge of his tunic as he watched the others treat Twilight’s wounds.

 

Hyrule sent Sky for blankets while he got Twilight’s boots off and shoved a bedroll under his feet to elevate them. For shock, he explained, which could be just as deadly as any injury. The lightning hadn’t gone through Twilight’s heart or lungs (they hoped, surely they’d know by now) but shock could cause those organs to fail if left untreated.

 

Wind knelt with Wild, taking items from him and assisting where he could. Wild had got Twilight's shirt off with Time and Warriors help, and was looking for the exit wound. Wind’s close proximity meant he was first person to notice and mention the odd marks decorating their friends skin.

 

“What are those?”

 

The others leant in. Raised, wire-thin welts ran over Twilight’s upper body, shooting root-like up along his injured arm, down from the shoulder in knotted red ropes and terminating low on his torso where a rupee-sized hole had been blown through his abdomen. The hole was ragged and ran deep into the muscle, scorched around the edges, but seemed to have self cauterised as it wasn’t slick with blood. The other marks were shallow and pink, spreading delicately out over pale skin like fronds of coral through water.

 

“Lightning feathers.” Wild said, taking a handful of bandages and a potion-soaked gauze pad from Four and starting to wrap the wound. “Shouldn’t last more than a week, they fade quick.”

 

“Woah. You’ve seen them before?”

 

Wild grimaced. “They itch like crazy.”

 

It wasn’t until he turned to pull a blanket from Sky’s suddenly limp hands that he realised all his conscious friends were staring at him. Even Four was giving him an incredulous look where he was tying off the last of the bandages over Twilight’s arm.

 

“...What?”

 

“When you say they itch…”  Hyrule’s voice was muted, oddly hesitant.

 

Wild stared back, confused, and held one end of the blanket out to Time. Time reached out slowly to take it from his outstretched hand, a different shade of distress spreading over his features. Wild tucked his side of the blanket securely around Twilight, looked over it critically and went to grab another one. The others were still staring.

 

“Wild?” Time sat rigid against the cave wall, his protégés head lying in his lap. Twilight’s dark blonde hair spilled over his legs, dishevelled strands catching in the wool of another blanket folded up to serve as a pillow.

 

When Wild looked up, the feral tinge fading from his eyes as Twilight’s breathing eased and his skin warmed, Time continued speaking.

 

“...How many times? To know how long it takes to fade.”

 

“...a few.”

 

“How many is a few, Wild?”

 

Wild secured the second blanket around his mentor, avoiding Time’s eyes. “Thunder weapons and electrical based enemies are pretty common in my world. So, a few.”

 

He stopped, gaze oddly distant, before standing abruptly and turning to rest of the group.

 

“He’ll be out for a while. We should set up camp.”

 

No-one dared argue.

 

\---

 

It was near impossible to know what time of the night it was.

 

The sky was dark and grey, obscured by the sheets of rain lashing the stone walls of the cliff even now. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, but the lightning had retreated to higher up in the atmosphere, sparking behind the clouds like trapped sunset fireflies. The last fork they’d seen clearly was the one that hit Twilight.

 

Time was very careful not to think about that.

 

Twilight hadn’t moved from where he still lay with his head in Time’s lap, tucked under several blankets. Time hadn’t moved either, hit with the irrational fear that if he did, Twilight would take a turn for the worse. He’d volunteered for watch with the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, the sight and smell of burnt flesh and ozone seared permanently into his memory.

 

In any case, it was his bedroll propping up Twilight’s feet.

 

The others had slowly backed off once Twilight was stabilised. The events of the past hour plus the day of travelling beforehand had left them all exhausted, and Time had been getting claustrophobic with so many people crowded around him. Warrior and Legend had taken charge, getting the others spread out and setting up camp.

 

It hadn’t taken much for everyone to calm down, despite how worried they were. Wind had enlisted Sky’s help in brewing tea for everyone, as he’d heard his Grandma say that was good for shock. They’d all had a shock. He’d also nicked most of Wild’s honey supply to put in it, making it almost cloyingly sweet. It had helped though, the party of heroes sipping tea and starting to relax as the more violent parts of the storm moved away and as Twilight regained colour in his skin.

 

As was usually the case, Wild was the exception. He’d tensed more and more as the night wore on, keeping Twilight in his peripheral vision at all times. He’d stalked around the perimeter of the cave, the feral look returning to his eyes, managing to avoid any and all attempts to get him to settle. Getting him into fresh clothes had taken them several attempts, before Legend finally resorted to pulling him down by the collar and sitting on him to keep him there until he agreed to change. He’d refused tea, refused to eat, but he’d made sure everyone else did, standing near them and watching until they’d finished the rice ball or skewer he’d shoved into their hands. The hovering was getting very unsettling.

 

As was the _pacing._ The constant, constant pacing.

 

Wild was on roughly his one hundred and forty-seventh lap of the cave before Time managed to catch his eye.

 

 _Cub_.

 

The sign fell easily from his fingers. It was oddly comfortable to use. Twilight had adopted the nickname for Wild in the same way Time had long ago christened his protégé ‘Pup’ and it felt _right_ to have him there too. Another part of their lineage, regardless of blood.

 

Wild was staring, body frozen.

 

Time didn’t let the worry show on his face.

 

_You can’t stalk the cave the whole night._

 

_I can. Need to watch, you need sleep._

 

 _I’m not sleeping. Watch from over here_.

 

Wild hesitated. He hadn’t been near Twilight since they’d finished treating his wounds. Time had caught him staring, clearly wanting to come over and check on Twilight but distracting himself with other tasks. Why?

 

Before Time could ask the question, Twilight distracted them both by waking up.

 

And panicking.

 

Wild was at Time’s side in an instant, ducking under his arm where he was attempting to hold his thrashing protégé still and stop him from doing any more damage to his injuries. Wild pushed in close to them both, closer than he was normally comfortable with, and pressed his forehead against Twilight’s, grabbing his uninjured hand in his own.

 

“Hey, hey, easy…”

 

Twilight stilled, abandoning his attempts to struggle out of Time’s hold.

 

“...Cub?”

 

“I’m here. You’re hurt, we’re safe.” Wild pulled back a bit so Twilight could see him

 

“...everythin’s blurry.” A delayed response. His speech was slurred, eyes struggling to focus, pupils two different sizes. Wild slid a hand into Twilight’s hair to keep his attention, gently running his fingers through it. 

 

“You got a concussion. Brain hasn’t settled yet.”

 

Another delay. “M’head hurts.”

 

Time silently handed Wild another potion, and helped Twilight sit up enough to drink it. While Wild focused on that, Time looked over at the others. They were being watched by the entire camp, Twilight having successfully caught everyone’s attention when he woke up. Hyrule caught his eye and signed something quickly.

 

_You need any help?_

 

Four was closest, ready to move if need be. Time shook his head. Unless things went suddenly downhill, Twilight waking up was a good thing and his confusion could be better handled by two people than an entire party. Everyone settled back down, politely ignoring what was going on and giving the three of them the illusion of privacy.

 

Twilight was now seated mostly upright in Time’s lap, leaning into his chest. His head lolled worryingly, like a marionette with loose strings. Time pulled the blankets back up around Twilight's shoulders from where they'd fallen when he'd woken up. Wild was crouched next to them and doing his best to keep Twilight’s attention.

 

“Don’t go to sleep yet.”

 

“M’tired though…”

 

“No. I’ll poke you if you do.”

 

Twilight’s glare was much less effective when it was filtered through a dazed expression and he was leaning on Time for support.

 

“...Don’ poke me.”

 

“I’ll get Time to help.”

 

Twilight finally seemed to register that Time was there, tilting his head back fully into Time’s shoulder.

 

“Hey, Pup. You had us worried.”

 

Twilight squinted, gaze hovering somewhere around Time’s ear.

 

“...don’ let him poke me.”

 

“Stay awake and I won’t have to.”

 

Twilight grimaced at that, getting enough energy together to stick his tongue out at the two of them. Time couldn’t help but chuckle at that, startling himself. Twilight gave him a vague grin in return, attempting to sit up properly and making the mistake of leaning on his injured arm. He yelped, falling back into Time’s side and hissing at the pain.

 

“Ow, damn…”

 

“I’ll bet. You took a direct lightning strike in the rain.”

 

“Ugh.” A pause, then: “Wait, the others…!”

 

Time cut him off.

 

“Are fine, no-one’s hurt except you.”

 

“... but Wild _always_ gets hit by lightning…”

 

“Hey, not always!” Wild finally rejoined the conversation. He looked hideously offended, glaring at his dazed mentor.

 

Twilight did his best to glare straight back.

 

“Zora’s domain.”

 

“I didn’t get hit that much! And it was shock arrows, those don’t count.”

 

“Does count. Lizalfos and a Lynel.” Twilight directed that to Time, who was growing visibly exasperated. “Lynel took ages to kill, he got hit _so many times._ ”

 

“It wasn’t that bad!”

 

“Thunder plateau, an’ Gerudo Desert, _an’_ Van Naboris…”

 

“I’ve changed my mind, please go back to sleep.”

 

Time was giving him a _spectacularly_ unimpressed look. Twilight just looked vaguely smug. Everyone else listening in from around the fire was just glad the atmosphere was more relaxed now the standard teasing about Wild’s non-existent self preservation instincts had begun.

 

“Y’looked like a bloody _tree_ with all those marks.”

 

Wild buried his head in his hands.

 

“Don’t remind me, it was miserable.”

 

“Good to know that ‘a few times’ means ‘constantly’, Cub.”

 

“Hey, y’said it too…!” Twilight sounded about as delighted as a concussed person could get.

 

“I’m seriously considering calling him ‘Menace’ instead. Or possibly ‘The reason I’m going grey.’”

 

“Nah, ‘s me. N’ you aren’t grey yet.”

 

“Hm, true. Cub it is, then.”

 

Wild wasn’t sure whether he should be delighted or offended over this conversation. Not to mention the fact that he apparently now had _two_ mentors. Or possibly a grand-mentor? Nothing about this situation made sense, but that was hardly new.

 

The teasing had finally worn Twilight out. He was struggling to keep his eyes open, posture slumping more and more as he started to go back under.

 

“Damn. C’mon Pup, stay with us.”

 

Wild leaned in, checking Twilight's half closed eyes. The pupils were back to normal, the same size again. The bruising around his eyes had faded, and his speech had become more and more clear the longer he’d remained awake.

 

“He’s healing. He can sleep, but we’ll have to wake him up every couple of hours to check how he’s responding.”

 

Wild ran his fingers through Twilight's hair again, smiling slightly as he watched Twilight tuck himself closer into Time’s chest. Time wrapped an arm around him to keep him steady and hugged him close, avoiding his wounds.

 

“Sleep, Pup. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

 

And Twilight did.

 

The fire crackled gently in the background, quiet rustling accompanying it as the others started to settle in their bedrolls, joining Twilight in sleep. Wild remained crouched next to Time, watching Twilight breathe. The tenseness started to creep back into his frame despite knowing Twilight would wake up again, his earlier composure disappearing now Twilight wasn’t able to witness it.

 

_He’ll be alright. You of all people know he’ll be alright._

 

Wild’s attention snapped to Time’s fingers. He shook his head, raising his own hands to sign.

 

_He wouldn’t have got hurt if i’d been quicker, if I’d gone and found him._

 

_This isn’t your fault, Wild._

 

_If I’d been quicker, he’d still have his secret._

 

Oh.

 

Of course. Wild had kept the others from asking questions at the time, and no-one had mentioned it since, but everyone knew now about Twilight’s ability. There was a lot of potential for backlash there, simply because for many of them, animals were generally easier to talk to than people, and ‘Wolfie’ had been sounding-board and secret-keeper to every one of the group at one point or another. Things they wouldn’t have told anyone else in the group had been entrusted to him, secure in the knowledge that it was safe.

 

But all along it was Twilight.

 

He’d never broken the trust given to him in wolf form, but it was still Twilight.

 

All of that, coupled with seeing Twilight hurt so badly, and knowing explicitly how it felt to suffer those kinds of wounds...well. It was no wonder Wild was acting so flighty. 

 

Time was going to be damned if he let Wild put all of this on himself though.

 

Wild’s fingers twitched as he tried to organise his thoughts. The distress was growing on his face again, eyes flicking between Twilight and the others, and when Time started to sign again Wild’s face was alight with desperation.

 

_It’s not your fault Twilight was struck by lightning._

 

Time waved away Wild’s attempt at a response, needing him to listen.

 

_You found him in the storm. You got him back here safely. You are the reason we changed him back..._

 

Time waited, hands hovering in between them. Wild finally looked at him. He was biting his lip, apprehension clear on his face. Time made sure he was looking him straight in the eyes when he continued.

 

_And you were right to do so._

 

It took a second for that to register, wariness snapping into surprise.

 

_As awful as it is, you know how to deal with electrical wounds. You knew we couldn’t help him as a wolf. We might not have realised that until..._

 

Time couldn’t finish the sentence, hands hovering uselessly just as he’d hovered earlier over Twilight's still form.

 

Wild reached out then, hands closing over his and squeezing gently. Together they watched Twilight breathe for a minute or two, tucked into Time’s chest.

 

Time slid his hands free and continued.

 

_He’s going to be fine because of you, Cub._

 

Wild broke eye contact then, dropping his gaze to the floor.

 

_What if they hate him?_

 

_They won’t._

 

_What if he hates me?_

 

Time reached out, stilling Wild’s hands in return.

 

“He could never hate you.”

 

It took Wild a moment, but when he looked up again Time saw the worry was starting to fade. Something seemed to settle in him, a change in the air and under his skin. Then, much to Time’s shock, he shifted closer and tucked himself fully under Time’s free arm, leaning into him. Time slowly, slowly wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. The tenseness in Wild’s body snapped like an overstretched bowstring and he flopped, boneless, fully into Time’s side. Within seconds he was asleep.

 

Time was left staring at the cub. Wild very, very rarely initiated any form of contact and nothing to this level. He’d only allowed Twilight and, recently, Wind this close to him. Nobody knew why he wasn’t comfortable with touch but everyone accepted and respected it, just as they respected Time’s silence over his past and all manner of quirks the other party members had.

 

Wild had just...accepted him. Into the tiny group of people that he trusted with contact. Seemingly out of nowhere. And was now sleeping, exhausted, letting Time keep watch over everyone.

 

Twilight was hurt and Wild was trusting Time to keep them both safe.

 

It was a hell of a statement coming from their most independent, wary, fey teammate.

 

And by the time the morning sun broke through the cloud cover, setting the drenched grass ablaze with light and waking Twilight (grumbling into Time’s chest as he twisted away from the sunbeam boring into his eyes), Time still hadn’t been able to put his feelings about it all into words.

 

But as Twilight looked over them both, lingering pain ignored in favour of absolute delight at the scene he’d awoken to, Time knew that this could only be a sign of good things to come.

 

\---

 

“Hylia’s sake, _why does this itch so bad._ ”

 

“I told you! You never believed me but I told you.”

 

“I regret everything. Someone put me out of my misery before I claw my own arm off.”

 

“Oh yes, with your _actual goddamn claws_ that you have sometimes _._ Surprised you didn’t say you’d maul your own arm off.”

 

“...wait, what?”

 

“You heard me, wolf boy.”

 

“...what the fuck Legend.”

 

“Oooh, are we finally going to talk about the Wolfie thing?”

 

“Yeah, I wanna know! Can I learn how to be a wolf too?”

 

“We really have been very patient. Can we get the backstory now?”

 

“WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL. YOU KNOW?”

 

“Oh yes.”

 

“HOW DO YOU KNOW?!?”

 

“You were still furry when you got hit by that lightning, pup.”

 

“BUT...I...wait, what? ...And no-one is bothered by this?”

 

“Bothered, no. Pretty curious, yes. We’ve all seen a lot of strange things though, honestly this doesn’t even really register on the weirdness scale.”

 

“And we all have secrets, Twilight.”

 

“Yeah, no-one’s upset or anything. We all talked about it while you were out cold, we get why you didn’t tell us. We do want to know how it happened though!”

 

“If that’s alright. Obviously we won’t push it if you really don’t want to say anything.”

 

“I...but. Hang on. If I was in wolf form when I passed out, how did I turn back? I can’t change when i’m unconscious.”

 

“...”

 

“... **WILD.** ”

 

“ _IT WAS AN EMERGENCY._ ”

 

“ **GET BACK HERE.”**

 

" _NEVER_.”

 

“...”

 

“...well, I guess we’ll have to get the full story later.”

 

“Aww…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the support I have received so far! 
> 
> Twilight is not going to suffer any permanent psychological wounds from this, because I say so, but that is often the case for survivors of lightning strikes. He will however keep the scars on both his arm and his abdomen.
> 
> Anything else unrealistic about concussions or lightning wounds i'm going to claim as artistic license. This is, after all, a LoZ AU fanfiction. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think!


	3. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Actions speak louder than words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter that started this series off! This was the original idea that came to me in the middle of the night after gorging myself on Linked Universe works, and this is the idea that everything grew from as I always knew I wanted this to be in the middle somewhere. Also, I have always wanted to do a chapter name pun, so i’m going to say this counts.
> 
> Please enjoy!

\---

 

They should have known better than to explore the derelict Temple.

 

It wasn’t even really on their route. Hyrule had spotted it off to the side of the path half-covered in foliage as they travelled, and both he and Wild had somehow managed to get through the entrance before the others had realised the two of them had disappeared. 

 

Really, they had no choice but to go after them. And as much as many of them would say otherwise, the hero’s spirit did seem to come paired with an adventurous nature and not one of the nine was an exception to this. Some of them just took it to the extreme, exploring every nook and cranny and often getting horrendously lost in the process. While Hyrule and Wild swore by this approach to life, the others weren’t quite so convinced and often wondered how the two of them hadn’t gotten themselves killed poking into every dark cave and monster camp in the known universe.

 

The temple was shockingly void of danger, much to everyone’s surprise. A few keese here and there, a mix of all their lands and all just as easily dispatched. The odd monster every now and then, Stalfos and Wallmasters mostly. This was the first time Wild had come across the monstrous hands, privately glad they didn’t seem to exist in his world after being nearly grabbed by one with only Hyrule’s quick thinking preventing him from being dragged away.

 

They made it through the temple in record time, looting chests and solving puzzles along the way, made unusually easy by the distinct lack of enemies. In a way it was very unsettling, all of them used to temples fraught with peril and powerful foes. It was a tense and wary squad of warriors that approached the main room, Wind clutching a boss key and frantically checking every shadow for Keymasters. It was in vain, the only things that followed them to the mammoth doorway were the sweet, dusty scent of decay and the occasional echo of stonework collapsing elsewhere in the temple, mouldering with age. 

 

As they reached the doorway, the boss key begun to gleam. Wind was forced to move back from the already shaking metalwork before he had placed the key, rusted chains screeching painfully as they retreated into the wall and hinges protesting as the door slowly swung inwards without any action on the part of the group. As one, the team stalked forward into the room with weapons drawn, more than ready to face the master of the near-deserted temple and leave the disconcerting quiet of this building behind them.

 

There was nothing there. 

 

It took them a minute to relax their guard, scanning the room carefully for any signs of monster habitation, but it soon became apparent that nothing was going to immediately happen. Temple bosses tended to be rather large, and generally unsubtle, and this room was wide and empty with no obvious hiding spots for a titanic beast to get the jump on them from. 

 

Slowly the team spread out to explore the new area, Wind slipping the key into his tunic pocket. It was a large, perfectly circular room which seemed to be the standard for the final areas in any temple. The walls and floor were beautifully carved with tiny symbols and swooping lines, intricate designs spiralling up stone pillars scattered throughout the room to hold up the shallow ceiling. There was a plinth in the middle of the floor, a silvery grey to the room’s gentle gold and completely bare of any ornamentation, and therefore immediately suspicious. Sky was the one to approach it, the others either watching cautiously from where they were scattered through the chamber or trying to puzzle out the meaning of the various wall etchings.

 

As Sky approached the plinth it gave off an ominous glow and faint music started to play in the distance. As this was probably the most normal part of the whole experience so far, no-one was terribly worried. A handprint shone brightly on the top in obvious invitation. 

 

The minute Sky’s hand made contact with the plinth, the glow shot down into the floor and spiralled out in ever increasing circles until it reached the walls. Thin lines of brilliant white edged with black sparks streaked towards the ceiling, lighting a few select symbols as they ascended before dissipating at the top. Those symbols lit other neighboring symbols and formed silhouettes. Terribly familiar silhouettes.

 

All around the chamber, Darknuts formed of blindingly bright glyphs floating in an inky void erupted from the walls and slammed to the floor.

 

For a split second all was still.

 

Then, as one, the Darknuts charged.

 

Within seconds the chamber was filled with the echoes of clashing swords and battlecries. There were at least fifteen of the glyph-monsters bearing down on the nine heroes, wielding claymores and clad in thick armour that was near impossible to get a blade through. It didn’t help that the monsters were faster and more agile than any normal Darknut type enemy had a right to be. Apparently being formed of pure magic stripped them from a lot of mortal limitations.

 

The team were forced to the defensive almost immediately. Against enemies this quick-footed there wasn’t time between parrying and deflecting to look for openings or weak points. Wind had managed to find and break the armour straps of one monster by ducking and rolling under its blade and slashing at its back, sending sheets of symbol-armour clattering soundlessly to the floor to explode in shards of magic, but that had only made the Darknut even faster and alerted the attention of another one. Wind was now fighting the two of them and was losing ground every second, being backed into the wall. He’d still had the most luck out of any of them against these beasts so far.

 

Four managed to duck out of the line of sight of his opponent, swinging himself behind a pillar. He needed a second to think and to strategize. They had been hit hard and fast with no time to organise themselves, and were outnumbered to boot. Their enemies were agile and extremely tough. Wind had briefly outmanoeuvred one by virtue of being smaller and speedier, as well as knowing what to look for in terms of weak points.

 

Four was small and fast. All four of him were. 

 

It wasn’t how he’d wanted to go about sharing this ability, but it could have been worse. Twilight hadn’t had the chance to reveal his on his own terms. And in any case he’d still have one secret left after this.

 

A resigned smile gave way to a cheeky smirk.

 

Time to even the playing field.

 

Flinging himself out into the battle once again, Four took a deep breath and raised his sword high.

 

Yet another beam of light spread through the room, distracting friend and foe alike. All in the chamber turned to find the source and found four beings where moments ago there had been only one.

 

Four swords were lowered. Four grins spread across four faces. Four warriors, identical but for their clothing colours, sped in different directions.

 

Four sets of armour disappeared as enemies around the room fell victim to the first real offensive action that the group had been able to take, all by virtue of surprise.

 

After that the battle took only minutes. The remaining eight heroes threw themselves back into the fray, fighting back against the hulking monsters and keeping them distracted while each of Four’s fragments darted around the battlefield to separate each one from their armour. Wind quickly joined them and together they removed each Darknut’s greatest defensive advantage. From there it was far easier for the others to dispose of them even with their greater speed and maneuverability, and soon the last one fell, shadow-edged light splintering against the stone floor.

 

Wind let out a triumphant whoop, racing over to Red and grabbing him up to spin him around in the air. Red shrieked in return, a massive smile on his face as he clung to Wind’s shoulders. The other fragments made their way over along with the rest of the team as Wind set Red back down, both boys leaning on each other and giggling madly as dizziness set in. 

 

“Well, I can’t say I was expecting that.” Warriors was the first to speak, smiling at the fragments of their smallest friend who had naturally gathered into a group near where Red and Wind were standing. Wind perked up at this, poking Red in the side.

 

“That was so cool! How long have you been able to do that for?”

 

“As long as you’ve known us. Me. Whatever!” Red answered, dizziness leaving him. “It gets confusing sometimes.”

 

“It explains why you went with the nickname Four at least. I had been wondering about that one.” Hyrule spoke up, absent-mindedly clutching his arm where a lucky claymore swing had caught it. Green frowned and made his way over to him, digging bandages out of his bag.

 

“Let me see that arm. And we did say it was because we wield the Four Sword.”

 

“And now that name makes a lot more sense as well.”

 

“There is another reason! One of the legends about the sword names us collectively as ‘The Four-who-are-One’. I always liked that.”

 

“I’m sorry you had to give up this secret in battle though.” Twilight said from his position leaning against the plinth. Blue waved him away, eyes rolling.

 

“Don’t be, it’s not like we didn’t know what the consequences would be. At least we got to make that choice ourselves.”

 

“And we were getting absolutely nowhere with those enemies. Tactically it made sense to split now.” Vio added, shouldering his blade.

 

A chuckle erupted from Time. “You are full of surprises, my friend.”

 

Four grins answered him. Even after seeing how Twilight’s secret was handled by the group they had still been slightly worried about coming out with this ability, but it was clear that this was unfounded. The others peppered them with questions, curious about how the Four Sword power worked, and long minutes passed while conversation flowed and the aftermath of battle was dealt with. It wasn’t until Wind shifted and the boss key fell from his pocket that the obvious occurred to them.

 

“Err, guys? I don’t know how temples work where you’re from, but usually there’s some kind of exit portal after the final battle…?” Hyrule spun in place, gesturing into the room with his injured arm.

 

There was nothing. The room was still lit with a golden light, the wall glyphs dull carvings once more, but no shining circle or platform had appeared to take them out of the building.

 

“Well, the boss key wasn’t needed for the door. Maybe this isn’t the final room?”

 

There was a collective groan at Wind’s words. The fight with the Darknuts had been strenuous, even with extra fighters, and none of them were keen to go through another, harder battle so quickly.

 

“Well, where’s the next room then? I can’t see an exit anywhere.” Legend stood with his arms folded. He glared at the walls, as if daring another doorway to spawn at his words. The walls remained stubbornly solid.

 

Sky had moved over to examine the plinth once more, curious as to why it was still glowing faintly at Twilight’s elbow. As he approached, the glow darted to the middle and shrunk, forming the shape of a keyhole. Sky met Twilight’s eyes over the plinth, a flat look traded between them.

 

“Mystery solved. Wind, pass that here would you?” Twilight took the offered key and touched it to the shining keyhole, and the glow intensified once again. The group tensed and drew their weapons once more, but instead of shooting off towards the walls the glow shot into the air above their heads. It twisted in the air, forming familiar letters and spelling out a message.

  
  


**_To those who have made it to this room and faced my servants, I congratulate you on your victory._ **

 

**_But the battle is not yet complete._ **

  
  


“Of course it isn’t. Hylia’s name, why do we even bother?” 

 

“Legend, shut up.”

  
  


**_There is only one thing you must do to complete the trials ahead._ **

 

“Trials? Oh  _ joy _ .”

 

“Legend! Shut it!”

 

The glow twisted again, letters becoming a formless mass once more. Most of it evaporated, glittering as it went, but the remaining portion shifted into one last word that hung in the air before them.

 

**_S U R V I V E_ **

 

“Fucking brilliant. Nothing I love more than  _ incredibly vague peril _ .”

 

“You’re going to get a smack in a minute.”

 

“I’d like to see you try, little boy blue.”

 

Blue was stomping over to a smirking Legend, sword in hand and practically growling while his counterparts facepalmed as one behind him, when the floor started to shake. The resulting tremors threw them all off balance, Legend darting forward to catch Blue before he hit the ground. Light spiralled out from the plinth once again but this time it spread to the swooping designs and long swirling lines which had remained dull throughout the earlier battle, white/black shooting through the carvings and forming new outlines. This time however the outlines were of something they had already searched the room for.

 

Doorways.

 

With a crackle of sparks each doorway was abruptly flooded with a dark void. They were endless, no definition, no glimpse of anything else further inside. It was almost as if four holes had been gouged from the universe, leaving only terrifying chasms in their wake.

 

All of a sudden everyone in the room felt the same sensation.

 

A  _ yank. _

 

The doorways were pulling them in.

 

There was no way to resist, no way to stop it. The team started to move against their will, each one of them skidding rapidly across the floor to one of the four gaps.

 

Yells, curses and screams were abruptly cut off as the group shot through the portals. Within seconds the room was silent once more. Dust clouds billowed, the only movement in the room.

 

Well, almost.

 

Sky hacked and coughed from his position on the floor under a pillar. He’d been slammed into it by the mysterious tugging force rather than being dragged through a doorway, and with the speed at which he’d hit it and the amount his ribs were now hurting he wasn’t sure if he’d had the better or worse outcome.

 

He forced himself upright, grimacing as his body twisted, and slowly made his way over to the plinth once more.

 

It remained dull and silvery, no further glow on its surface. Sky turned, surveying the four portals still outlined in white/black sparks. Whatever these trials consisted of, the portals were still active so there must be ways to beat them and return to this chamber. He would have to trust in the abilities of his friends and hope they would make it back here safely.

 

Sky sighed, slumping down to the floor and leaning against the pillar. The waiting would be awful but he doubted there was anything he could do to help the others right now. As he tried to get comfortable, the ominous final message from the temple spirit caught his eye where it still hung in the air.

 

**_S U R V I V E_ **

 

Sky could only pray the others would follow that instruction.

 

\---

 

Wild awoke face down with someone frantically shaking his shoulder. He tried to push himself up only for his hands to sink into the ground, jolting him into a more alert state. 

 

The ground under him was a snowbank.

 

With that knowledge came the realisation that he was really,  _ really  _ cold. Wild flailed around, managing to roll over and sit up enough to see who had been shaking him. The worried, pale face of Vio greeted him, cheeks bright red with the chill. 

 

“Besides the obvious, how do you feel?”

 

“Not hurt as far as I can tell. I might just be too numb to feel it though.” Wild broke off, trying to uncurl his fists. They shrieked in protest, pain shooting through them as the blood started to circulate again. Wild staggered to his feet, the numbness protesting with every movement and sending pins and needles through his body. Vio stood with him and together they surveyed the area they had awoken in.

 

The world around them was near colourless. A long stretch of white lay before them, hemmed in on either side by sloping cliffs slick with ice. The sky was full of clouds tinted a deep blue-grey that showed no signs of clearing. Snow fell in flurries, obscuring sight and muffling sound. 

 

Not the most encouraging sight to awaken to.

 

In the distance a bright light could barely be seen, pulsing high into the air.  Undoubtedly the challenge was to survive long enough get there. Wild briefly wondered where the other doorways led and what the other challenges were. He almost hoped that the others were faced with an equally hostile area to trudge through. Almost.

 

Next to him, Vio shivered violently. The smaller warrior was shaking with the cold, hands tucked into his armpits.

 

“We should find shelter and warm up before we head out into this. It’d be too dangerous to go out unprepared.” 

 

Wild agreed, and the two of them set off towards the cliffside. Vio spotted a raised area and trudged through the deep snow towards it, clambering up to see if he could get a better view.

 

Wild’s danger sense started to shriek at him, reaction delayed due to the cold. It was camouflaged by the snow but he’d seen that shape somewhere before...but before he could call out, the ground under Vio started to shift. Rock and ice exploded upwards, throwing Vio off and into the snow on the other side of a hulking Frost Talus.

 

Instinct kicked in as it swung around to face Vio, pulling himself out of the snow to face the threat. Before the Talus could attack Wild had nocked three bomb arrows and fired them into the ore deposit on the Talus’s lower back. The frost golem staggered and collapsed, the thick layer of freezing ice running over its body evaporating with the heat and giving Vio enough time to duck around it and run to Wild’s side.

 

“Weak spots?” Vio was surprisingly calm after being thrown about by an enemy type he’d never seen before, but the fragments had mentioned they all had distinct personality traits and reacted to events in different ways. 

 

“The ore deposit there.” Wild had pulled out a iron sledgehammer as the Talus rumbled to its feet and turned to face them, thankful he always had one on hand. “If we can distract it long enough for one of us to attack it, after a few rounds it’ll explode.”

 

Vio nodded, pulling out his Magic Hammer and gripping it with numb fingers. There was no time for anything else as the Talus threw one of its arms forward causing both heroes to dive in opposite directions. The Talus turned to follow Vio, which gave Wild enough time to climb its still unfrozen body and attack the ore deposit until he was shaken off. They quickly realised the Talus would attack whoever climbed it last and together they fell into a pattern of distract, climb, attack, repeat; with Wild firing a bomb or fire arrow whenever it regained its ice.

 

The Talus was nearly destroyed when the unthinkable happened.

 

The thick snow covering the ground hid all the natural dips and hills in the earth around them, and it was Vio, racing away from the Talus as distraction, that discovered this first hand. He sunk into deeper snow than he was expecting, stumbling to his knees, and couldn’t dodge out of the way of the Talus’s attack in time.

 

With a sickening  _ crack _ Vio was sent flying across the makeshift battlefield by one of the Talus’s heavy punches, colliding with the stone cliffs. He fell into the snowdrift gathered at the bottom, and he didn’t get back up.

 

Wild only realised he had screamed when the cliffs echoed the sound back to him.

 

He threw himself at the Talus, sliding between its legs and throwing himself up its back to stand on the ore deposit. The Talus continued it’s slow lumbering towards where Vio lay while again and again Wild brought the hammer swinging down. With one last gargantuan effort the ore deposit shattered. Wild didn’t stop to see the Talus crumble, jumping off its shoulder and scrambling to his friend to throw himself into the snow beside him.

 

Vio was still and pale, forehead bleeding sluggishly where the punch had connected. The snow was starting to cover his slender form. Vio’s blood was bright and terrible against the icy ground. Wild needed to get him out of here.

 

As Wild started to race away with his friend held securely in his arms, he didn’t see the Talus’s remains start to melt into the snow and leave behind coal-like stains. Inbetween the howling of the wind and the cracking of the ice, there was a low, satisfied cackle.

 

\---

 

They seemed to be spending a lot of time in caves recently, but Wild couldn’t bring himself to care beyond being grateful they had shelter.

 

Vio lay unmoving, skin still chilled where Wild’s hands held a compress to the head wound to stem the bleeding. The minute Wild had got a fire going, using a flameblade because it wasn’t as if anyone was here to tell him off, blood had started to flow more rapidly from the wound. The freezing temperatures of the world outside had been awful but it had kept the bleeding to a minimum as Wild had frantically searched for somewhere to hide from the snow, Vio terribly cold and still against his body.

 

Thankfully he hadn’t sustained much more damage from the battle. There were no broken bones that Wild could find, only bruising starting to bloom along his side where he had hit the cliff and of course the head wound. The real worry was how the tips of Vio’s fingers had gone white and waxy, not yet back to normal even with the heat of the fire and the Flameblade propped up against the cave wall.

 

The problem was that Four got cold very, very easily. Being small and slender, he didn’t have enough mass to retain his own body heat so when the temperature dropped he was in real danger. He always sat closest to the fire, close enough that he had to make sure he didn’t doze off so close to the flames lest he burn himself. Wild had no idea if anyone else noticed how Four always tried to wake up first, often shivering in his bedroll, something that he brushed off if anyone mentioned it. He was up and moving as quickly as possible after waking, rarely shed any layers and didn’t stay still for long periods of time. It made sense that he’d apprenticed as a smith, beyond the family connection the heat of the forge was likely very welcome after spending your life with a permanent chill in your bones.

 

But right now, Vio was slowly but surely warming up. Wild had wrapped blankets around them both, Vio sprawled in his lap to share body heat, and built the fire up high enough that the ceiling was becoming soot stained. Thankfully it had worked and Vio had stopped shivering, and his fingertips were looking normal again. But he still hadn't woken, and the only thing Wild could think of was to get himself and Vio back to the others as soon as possible. It was going to be tricky with Vio down for the count, the atmosphere against them and monsters roaming around but Wild wasn’t a survivalist for nothing.

 

It was times like this that being the hero of a post-apocalyptic wasteland and a bit of a hoarder became very useful.

 

Wild set Vio down and pulled several items of clothing out of his bag. With a silent apology for not thinking of this earlier, Wild bundled Vio into his Snowquill outfit. It was huge on him, tunic hanging past his knees and the waistband of the trousers needing to be rolled up several times, but with the whole fully upgraded set on Wild knew that Vio wouldn’t be in danger of freezing. He finished weaving the ribbons of the headdress into place and sighed in relief as he felt the magic activate, the ruby glowing slightly. Between the Snowquill clothes and his own clothes underneath, Vio should stay warm enough for Wild to get him out of here without further issues.

 

Wild quickly shrugged into another set of clothes. He wouldn’t usually wear the Warm Doublet somewhere this cold, but between that, the Ruby Circlet and the fact that he’d be moving pretty quickly thanks to his Snow Boots, he should stay warm enough. 

 

The next problem was how to carry Vio while still being able to defend them both if needed. Wild was going to need to rely on stealth to get through the area unscathed, but ice-based enemies tended to be well camouflaged and he had no idea what he could run across out there. After a few moments thought he pulled another handful of clothes out of his bag.

 

Between the Climber, Desert Voe, Hylian and Soldier sets he had enough belts to make this work.

 

About fifteen minutes later, they were ready. Wild had Vio in a pack-strap hold, similar to giving someone a piggyback ride. He’d used various belts to essentially tie them together, knowing that if he needed to fight while they travelled then he wouldn’t be able to keep a secure hold on his friend. The belts and straps took a lot of Vio’s slight weight which in theory should stop Wild from tiring so easily. Thank Hylia (for once) that he’d built up his stamina as much as possible. One of Wild’s larger wooden shields was slung over Vio’s back for protection and the flameblade was sheathed at his side. Hardly the most inconspicuous weapon but anything that helped keep them both warm was a necessity.

 

Wild double checked that they were both exposed as little as possible, that Vio’s hands were tucked into the over-large sleeves of the Snowquill Tunic and that the Hylian cloak around his own neck was securely fastened, and without any further delays he jogged out into the snowstorm in the direction of the pulsing light.

 

\---

 

Sky only spent around an hour alone in the chamber before one of the doorways flared with light. Sky jolted to his feet, sword drawn, only for Warrior, Hyrule and Green to race through. Several fireballs followed them, striking the pillars and pinging off in random directions as the light from the doorway started to fade. The glow stopped abruptly as if it had been snuffed out, and the void just...ceased to exist, the wall becoming a uniform yellow-gold once more.

 

Sky ran to his friends, more than a little worried at the smell of burning and the slightly singed edge to all of their clothing.

 

“Some kind of gauntlet challenge.” Warrior answered Sky’s unspoken question, wiping at his face with a sleeve. “Massive lava field full of enemies and we had to reach the end to warp back out. Wish i’d borrowed Legend’s Ice rod.” Grimacing at his sooty sleeve, Warrior reached into his bag and pulled out his completely unblemished scarf, winding it around his neck and avoiding the three sets of eye rolls sent his way.

 

“It wasn’t so bad, just time consuming.” Green picked up the thread of the conversation. “None of us are really injured aside from a few small burns.”

 

“Then why can I smell scorched wood?”

 

“I pulled out my boomerang to throw at an enemy and it caught on fire.” Hyrule held up the slightly singed weapon. “Probably should have seen that coming to be honest.”

 

“You did throw it at that group of Podoboo, so yes.”

 

“It was a strange mix of enemies in there.” Warrior added. “Fire Keese, Podoboo, Flame-Breath Lizalfos, Kodongos, Winders, Magma Spumes…it was a mix of all of our realms again.”

 

“And there was that weird red bird with the long tail by the portal. It kept flying out of reach of our arrows so in the end we just ran past it.”

 

“Weird bird?” Sky looked at Green, frowning. “Did it have gold wingtips and a hole in the end of its tail?” Green nodded. “A Furnix. They’re a pain to bring down without a whip.”

 

“Oh good, i’ll be sure to remember that for next time.” Warrior stretched, answering Sky’s flat stare with a smirk. “How long have you been waiting here?”

 

“About an hour? You guys are the first back.”

 

“I guess we can’t do anything but wait either then.” Hyrule wandered over to the plinth and sat down at the base as Sky had been doing before they arrived. The others joined him, Sky questioning the others about what else had happened on the other side of the portals and being teased by Warrior for ‘skiving’ while the others went through their challenges. Half an hour later, a second portal across the room flared and from it emerged Legend, Blue and Twilight in wolf form. All three were liberally dusted in sand, and Twilight had positioned himself between Legend and Blue. The very loud argument going on between them may have had something to do with it.

 

“You can’t just throw yourself straight at a Lanmola like that, they take damage tail first!”

 

“I brought it down didn’t I? They’re just like a Moldorm, we’ve fought tons of those.”

 

“You don’t usually fight by  _ throwing yourself at an enemy big enough to eat you _ .”

 

“It’s not like you were doing anything to get rid of it!”

 

“Because we had to wait for it to expose its tail like sensible goddamn people. For fucks sake, are the other fragments all of Four’s impulse control?”

 

“Sadly, yes.” Green called out from across the room. Blue gave him a filthy look but didn’t argue.

 

Twilight, satisfied that a fight wasn't going to break out, trotted away from his companions and shook as much of the sand as possible out of his fur. Only then did he turn back into a human and make his way over to the others sat around the plinth, Legend and Blue following. Their challenge had been the same - a gauntlet of various enemies, but set in a desert valley. The final monster guarding the portal had been the aforementioned Lanmola. Blue had thrown himself at it, too annoyed at the situation to wait for the others and had nearly ended up being swallowed. Twilight had transformed to pull him out of the way, and together the three of them had attacked its tail to weaken it with Blue putting his sword through its head in the final blow.

 

“Vio’s going to have kittens over this when he gets back.” Green had buried his face in his hands on hearing the details of Blue’s near death experience. Blue groaned at that.

 

“Oh Goddess, he will won’t he. One of us in danger is about the only thing that irritates him, but it  _ really _ irritates him. I’m going to have lectures about this for  _ weeks. _ ”

 

“No sympathy whatsoever.”

 

“Thanks Green. Nice to know you have my back.”

 

They were interrupted by the third doorway. Time strode through, Wind held under one arm and Red under the other. He didn’t pause even as lasers shot through after him, striking high up on the pillars before being cut off when the portal ceased to exist. He made his way straight over to the rest of the team and deposited a slightly bruised Red and Wind on the floor. Both of them looked incredibly sheepish.

 

“Dare we ask?” Blue raised an eyebrow.

 

“...We may have tried to ride a Totem Armos.”

 

“...And we didn’t see the Eyegore sneaking up behind us.”

 

“Kittens.” Green threw himself flat onto his back, limbs spread wide and stared at the ceiling in blank defeat. Red winced as he caught Green’s meaning.

 

“I’m still convinced it was a solid strategy! Wind almost got me up there, and I’ve controlled them before.”

 

“No.”

 

Red and Wind cringed at that, avoiding Time’s Glare of Disappointment. After a minute, he finally looked away from the two now-squirming boys and directed his question at the rest of the group.

 

“What were your trials?”

 

“Desert for us and Fire for them. What was yours?”

 

“Mechanical and stone. I’m assuming we’re just waiting for Vio and Wild now?”

 

“Yeah, and if you guys are anything to go by they shouldn't be too much longer.” Sky piped up.

 

Time nodded and settled down with them. The group of ten passed a comfortable half hour trading experiences of their gauntlets and wondering how this temple was able to simulate enemies from all of their worlds. An hour after that, conversation had ground to a halt and the group was getting more concerned, glances being thrown at the last active doorway every few minutes.

 

Another hour later, and all calm had left them.

 

Warrior had taken to pacing up and down the chamber, and Time looked as though he dearly wished to join him. He was keeping a hand firmly on Twilight’s shoulder, who was staring at the doorway unblinkingly. He’d already tried to go though and had been repelled by an unseen force but it was clear that if not for Time’s presence he would be attempting it again. Sky had taken to exploring the plinth, trying to see if there were any hidden switches or buttons which might do something. Anything.

 

Wind, Hyrule and Legend were hovering around the three fragments, not really knowing how to help but unwilling to leave them alone. Red was clinging to each of his counterparts, becoming more and more upset the longer the portal remained active. Green had pressed in along Red’s side in an attempt to comfort him but it was clear he was just as distressed. Blue was eerily still, his only movement for a good half an hour had been to grab Red’s hand. All three watched the portal like hawks. They had never been separated from each other like this before, not for so long and not knowing where one of them was. Every minute felt like an eternity.

 

Something had to happen soon, or else everyone in the room would surely go mad.

 

\---

 

Wild was going to find and murder whoever had invented snow.

 

Slowly.

 

_ Gleefully. _

 

If it was Hylia so much the better. She deserved it.

 

The going had been very slow, deep snowdrifts and treacherous ice making his passage much harder. He’d successfully avoided most enemies so far but this had just made the journey longer as he’d had to navigate around them. 

 

He hadn’t seen half of these monsters before but there was no way ice skeletons and Goron-looking snow heaps were friendly. And how he hadn’t attracted the attention of the white Wolfos packs roaming around was a mystery. A few ice Lizalfos had been hidden in the snow but those had been quickly dispatched by the flameblade without alerting any other monsters nearby. The last Lizalfos has taken the flameblade with it however, and the cold was starting to creep through his clothing.

 

Vio still hadn’t woken. Wild had reached back to check his friend was alright and had been relieved to find his hand warm where it was tucked in his tunic sleeve, but he was still worried the head injury was worse than he’d initially thought. 

 

Thankfully the portal was just over the next hill. Wild sped up, sliding down the cliff behind an oblivious cluster of Frosteyes hanging from a bare tree branch, and climbed to the top of the incline.

 

And stopped. He slid back down the incline a little so he was less exposed.

 

Dragon-esqe beast guarding the portal.

 

Oh, that was just perfect.

 

The monster was completely built of ice with the only colour on its body being several glowing red eyes. It was blocking the portal, disappearing and reappearing at random but keeping itself close by. There was going to be no sneaking past it.

 

An unfortunate Ice Keese flew into its path. One blast of freezing misty breath later and a Keese shaped ice cube fell to the ground and shattered into bloody chunks. Even though he’d done the same on multiple occasions to various enemies, Wild couldn’t help but flinch. Blood didn’t exactly bother him but these monsters were allies in theory, and he’d never seen one attack another like that before.

 

Right, focus. Close range was out of the question. Long range it was. Wild drew his bow and rifled through his quiver for fire arrows. Nocking two, he crept up to the top of the incline, knees in the snow, juuuust high enough to… there! Both arrows found their mark, and the startled ice-based enemy disappeared in a cloud of vapour. A collection of eyes was all that remained, rolling away across the field.

 

Job done, Wild slid down the other side of the hill, ending up with a fair amount of snow in his boots for his trouble. Grimacing but unwilling to stop, Wild jogged slowly towards the portal. Despite the straps and extra stamina, trudging through snow while carrying a bunch of equipment and an unconscious teammate had taken its toll and he was nearly at his limit. Wild was more than ready for this to be over. 

 

There was a noise behind him, and then suddenly he couldn’t move his legs.

 

Wild thrashed desperately. The ice pinning him in place was thick but he’d had lots of practice breaking free from this sort of attack, so he was able to shatter it and stagger clear just in time to avoid the assault aimed for his face. Legs wobbling, he spun around.

 

Multiple spiky ice things stared back at him, all with one glaring red eye. They were small, about the size of cats, but clearly powerful. And they had him surrounded. As he watched, another grew from the spot where the first, larger beast had been. The one remaining red eye that had been laying in the snow only a moment prior rooted itself in its skull, and it turned to face him.

 

Wild backed away, only to nearly bump into another one. The monsters were forming an ever-shrinking circle around him, trapping him in place. Slashing at them with a spare sword just sent them flying across the ground where they could bounce off rocks and trees back towards him. He quickly abandoned this strategy when one used the momentum to collide painfully with his legs and freeze him solid once again, and another took to opportunity to throw itself at his back while he was immobile, catching the shield at a weird angle and sending him staggering once he broke through the ice. 

 

Wild couldn’t really feel much anymore through the persistent chill but he could feel how much his body was protesting at being frozen multiple times. He was suddenly incredibly thankful he’d fully upgraded the Snowquill set. Vio was injured enough without being subjected to multiple counts of freeze-thaw. 

 

There were twin thumps as the shield that had been protecting them both thudded into the snow, split cleanly in two. Another ice creature launched itself at the side of Wild’s head and when it dropped back to the ground it had shredded ribbons adorning it’s spikes with a ruby barely clinging on. Once he struggled free from the coating of ice, leather cord and another ruby dropped into the snow at his feet.

 

Vio had jolted when the ice had broken, breath stuttering. Wild could smell copper in the air.

 

He needed to end this quickly.

 

Thankful once again that no-one else was here to see him do reckless things, Wild yanked out a bomb arrow and fired at the nearest patch of straggly vegetation. It went up immediately, poofing one of the ice-things out of existence by virtue of proximity and making everything else, Wild included, flinch back from the heat. Steadying himself on half-numb, sore legs, Wild leapt clumsily over the circle of monsters, kicked off a nearby rock and unfurled his paraglider. The updraft flung him straight upwards. Steering was hard with leaden arms and screaming muscles, but Wild managed to angle towards the portal and disappear through, Mini Freezards attempting to chase him even as the pulsing light disappeared.

 

\---

 

Even though they had all been staring at the portal for what felt like an age, the flare of light and shadow around it still startled them all enough to send their blood racing. Seconds later Wild shot through at high speed, arms giving out in midair and falling several feet to the stone floor, his paraglider smashing into a pillar further into the room.

 

Vio was tied to his back, lifeless. Blood was matted in his hair and was dripping from his forehead and mouth. He was terrifyingly pale.

 

The three other fragments nearly beat Twilight to their fallen friends, the others half a step behind them but skidding to a halt as Wild pushed himself up to hands and knees only to cough blood all over the floor. Twilight was holding him up, cursing under his breath.

 

“...made it?”

 

“Yeah Cub, you made it. You’re safe, we’re all here.”

 

Wild looked up, eyes unfocused. A trickle of blood was slowly running from his nose.

 

“Good. Vio’s hurt.”

 

...and he promptly passed out.

 

Twilight held Wild upright as Hyrule and Time quickly got to work on the straps holding the two boys together. Green joined them, face pinched with worry, and seconds later Vio was spread out of the floor with Green checking for a pulse. Blue and Red had slammed into the floor next to them, wide-eyed and shaking.

 

Vio had a pulse. The whole room let out a collective sigh of relief.

 

“Thank fuck. Okay, let’s get them out of here.” Legend pointed towards the centre of the room. The plinth was gone, and the circle of stone where it had stood was glowing. Light spiralled up from it, the familiar sign of an exit portal. An ornate treasure chest stood before it.

 

Warrior had dropped down at Vio’s side, gently checking the head wounds while the others watched on. 

 

“We’re going to need to be  _ very _ careful here. This is a hell of an injury. If we had any other choice I wouldn’t want to move him yet.”

 

“...We could reform? When we’ve been hurt in the past, it gets spread across us all and lessens the impact when we’re Four.” Red spoke up, the first time he’d said anything in over an hour.

 

“It’ll take a lot of energy and we’ll be unconscious, but you’ll be able to move us without worrying.” Green added. Blue was still silent, but he nodded in agreement where he was clutching Vio’s cold hand.

 

“You know this situation better than we do. If it’ll help, do it. We’ll take care of the rest.”

 

Three nods met Time’s words, and without further ado three swords were held in the air. Vio’s gleamed at his side in answer, and a second later Four was sprawled out on the floor. His forehead and mouth had stopped bleeding, but Warrior’s fingers still came away from the side of his head slick with blood. His skin was cold, cheeks and forehead a painful, wind chilled red.

 

No other words were exchanged between the group. Wind ran for Wild’s paraglider, somehow unbroken where it lay at the bottom of a pillar. Legend kicked open the chest with far more force than needed and stuffed the items in his bag without even looking at them. With Wild in Twilight’s arms and Four in Warrior’s, the group stepped into the exit portal and left the cursed place behind them. As they warped out, Hyrule spotted new glowing words hanging in the air where they had been standing. He didn’t get chance to read them before the group were standing in the forest.

 

He honestly couldn’t have cared less what the temple spirit had to say for itself.

 

\---

 

Four woke up warm.

 

That was the only good thing about waking, however. His head  _ ached _ and his entire body was sore and weak. He could taste blood in the back of his throat, nauseatingly thick, and four sets of memories were fighting into some semblance of order in his mind. He let this last one run its course, knowing full well from other times split into his fragments that if he tried to get up and move before everything had settled into place then he’d regret it.

 

He winced. Vio had been very badly injured, judging by the three sets of other memories clawing at the inside of his head with panic-dread-terror. What in Zelda’s name had happened? Vio’s own recollections were hazy and barely-there, mostly of the temple chamber and massive amounts of snow. And a scream…

 

... _ Wild. _

 

Four’s attempt to bolt upright was halted near-instantly by the fact that one of his arms was trapped under something warm and furry, and the rest of him was being pinned down under someone’s arm and a heavy mass of blankets. Trying again ended up as more of a weak spasm than a lunge for freedom.

 

“Okay, let’s not do that.”

 

“Sky?” Ugh, he sounded ghastly. Was that actually his voice right now?

 

“Right here. Don’t move too fast, you’re hurt.”

 

One arm still trapped, Four managed to roll over enough to look his friend in the face. Sky gave him a relieved smile, lying beside him and propped up on one arm. He was buried under the blankets as well, and it was his arm draped over Four. Both of them were stripped down to shirt and trousers, and Four’s confusion must have been obvious as before he could get the question out Sky answered it.

 

“You, well Vio, got knocked out in a snowstorm and fully frozen at least once. We needed to warm you up.”

 

It took a moment for his fog-addled brain to puzzle through that. Body heat, okay, made sense. Sky watched him carefully as he forced himself to slowly connect the dots. Snowstorm, enemy, injured…he snapped his attention back to Sky, eyes wide.

 

“Wild? Is he...”

 

“Fine, he’s going to be fine. He’s right here.”

 

Sky pointed to their other side. Flopping back over, Four was greeted with an immense furry mass that was putting out enough heat to rival a furnace. It shifted, and Wolf-Twilight’s concerned face was suddenly inches from his own. Four dredged up a smile for him, but as Twilight’s expression didn’t change he assumed that it looked exactly as dazed as he felt.

 

“Hi Wolfie.” Four got a cold nose to the forehead followed by an apologetic lick when he flinched back. “Where’s Wild?”

 

Twilight wriggled a little and pushed himself into a sitting position. On his other side lay Wild, hair a complete mess and his face red and hot where he’d buried himself into Twilight’s fur. Behind him Time was mirroring Sky’s position. He gave Four a tired grin when their eyes met.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Does ‘Ow’ count as a feeling?”

 

That got a chuckle out of Time and Sky, and a rumble out of Twilight. Wild grimaced a little as he was jostled but didn’t wake.

 

“How is he?”

 

Time’s smile didn’t completely disappear, but it was a close thing. 

 

“He’s sleeping off a lot of potions and a lot of damage but he should be fine. It’s amazing you’re awake yet actually, we had to get just as many potions into you. You were touch-and-go for a bit there, you were both so cold it was a struggle to get you warmed up.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“We were hoping you could tell us. Wild was carrying you when he came through the portal and you both had pretty extensive injuries.”

 

Four shook his head, an action which almost instantly regretted. 

 

“I’m not sure, Vio’s memories are pretty muddled. I remember snow...and a giant ice monster but that’s about it, i’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be, we can get the rest out of Wild when he wakes up.”

 

Four looked at Wild’s sleeping face, covered in scratches and frowning a little in pain, and had to took away as the guilt started to creep in. He still didn’t know how he was knocked out but Wild was hurt because he had to protect him, alone in a hostile environment. Another cold wolf nose to the forehead and an irritated whuff of air interrupted his train of thought. 

 

“Hey, no. I see that face, this isn’t your fault.” Sky wriggled closer, pulling Four into his chest. “You didn’t ask to get injured.”

 

“And we know full well that if the roles had been reversed, you would have found a way to get Wild out of there. Stubborness is a trait we all share.” Time shot him a knowing look.

 

“He was worried about you, you know.” Sky gave Four a gentle squeeze. “Woke up just enough when we got out of the temple to ask if you were okay, and he wouldn’t let us separate the two of you. In fact…” Four got the impression he was grinning. “Look at your hand.”

 

Four looked down. Stretched out across the ground, right under where Twilight’s head had been lying earlier, Wild’s fingers were twined with his own. Even in sleep his grip was firm, and when Four gently tightened his fingers Wild squeezed his hand in response.

 

Four couldn’t help but smile, relief washing through him and leaving exhaustion in its wake.

 

He was going to be alright.

 

\---

 

The Snowquill tunic never made it back in Wild’s bag, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. Wild had flat-out refused to take it from Four, and every time Four managed to sneak it back it would appear tucked in his own things later that day without fail. At one point, it hadn’t even been half an hour before he found the tunic stuffed down the side of his bag. Four pulled it out, incredulous, and looked over at Wild only to find him whistling in a violently nonchalant way as he prepared dinner.

 

He gave up at that point. A determined Wild could not be dissuaded, and he had clearly decided this was Four’s tunic now. Four slept in it most nights, and hadn’t woken up cold even once since doing so. At one point he’d even outslept Sky of all people.  _ Sky. _

 

It was an incredible gift and Wild wouldn’t let him thank him for it. He’d cut Four off every time he’d tried to mention the tunic or the challenge, whether to apologise or thank him, and would just smile and say it’s what anyone would have done.

 

Actions always worked better with Wild than words, so when the next world they were transported to turned out to be Four’s own he had the perfect opportunity. That night he waited until everyone was asleep, gave the current watch, Hyrule, a quick explanation and hurried off into the forest. 

 

Zeffa was over the moon to see him again and was more than happy to take Four to South Hyrule Field. From there it was a quick dash to his home. Thankful that his grandfather slept like the dead and was half-deaf from years of smithing, Four quickly got the forge set up and slung an apron on. He had work to do, and only the hours of the night to do it in.

 

\---

 

Just as dawn’s light was starting to brighten the world, Zeffa dropped Four off just outside of camp. A whispered promise to visit later and to bring his friends passed between them, and Zeffa flew off into the distance. Making just enough noise that he didn’t make the last watch, Warrior, jump too much, Four crept back into camp. Ignoring Warrior’s obvious curiosity he snuck over to Wild’s bag and tucked something inside. Since there was absolutely no point trying to get any sleep now, Four instead got the fire going again and spent the rest of the late watch quietly chatting with Warrior and dodging every nosy question about where he’d been that night. He was so occupied with the latter that it was only when Wild gasped that he realised anyone else was awake.

 

Wild was surrounded by pans and ingredients, clearly getting ready to start breakfast while the others woke up. In his lap was an unfolded piece of soft leather, and in his hand was a knife.

 

It was an excellent piece of work, if Four did say so himself. A Bushcraft knife had seemed like the obvious choice; a fixed drop point blade with a broad spine tough enough for splitting and chopping wood, but with a blade sharp and thin enough for carving, skinning and butchery. A full tang enclosed by a dark ironwood handle with a small kinstone carved into the guard. He’d had to split up in order to get the entire forging and finishing process done in one night, but he was very proud of the result. Vio had insisted on carving in the kinstone.

 

Four had poured all of his knowledge and talent into this knife. It was incredibly sturdy and very,  _ very _ well made. If Wild managed to break it, it’d be a miracle. 

 

Wild was staring at it with something like awe. He ran his hands over the curves of the handle with reverence and tested the sharpness of the blade with careful fingers. He didn’t take his eyes off it until he spotted the carving. It took him a second, but when it clicked where the knife had come from he spun round to face Four with wide eyes.

 

Four gave him a cheeky wink and turned back to face Warrior who was eyeing the piece in Wild’s hand with good-natured envy. Warrior started to pelt Four with questions, but didn’t get very far before Wild strode through the camp, gently handed the knife to Warrior, fell to his knees next to Four and pulled him into a tight hug.

 

There was a lot Four could have said then. He could have expressed how grateful he was to Wild for pulling him out of that goddess-forsaken challenge alive. He could have explained how he had no idea if he’d be able to survive with one of his fragments gone, and the sheer terror that came along with that. He could have apologised for Wild getting hurt while he was protecting him, for the worry and the guilt and the pain. He could have thanked him for the tunic again and again, the precious gift of warmth and the association it would forever hold with safety and friendship. And family.

 

But he knew that Wild knew it all already. 

 

So instead, he hugged back just as tightly, and didn’t let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As before, thank you for all the lovely comments, encouragement and general camaraderie. It has kept me going through nearly two weeks of migraines, and I'm forever grateful.
> 
> Please find below the author’s stupid af ‘red notes’ for when I couldn’t not comment on my own writing while in process of typing the story out. Can you match the comment to the part of the chapter? Probably, they are in chronological order after all:
> 
> Darknut is a stupid name for an enemy, sweet Jesusing Christ
> 
> The actual spelling is apparently outmanoeuvre, which seems weird, but whatever
> 
> BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL WAIT NO
> 
> This is what we in the industry call SHIT HITTING THE FUCKING FAN
> 
> IT’S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE
> 
> But unfortunately the author is a bit of a bitch.
> 
> Thank Odin for the Zelda Wiki, i’ve spent so much time on it recently that it’s now listed as one of my most frequently visited sites.
> 
> WHO’S THAT POKEMON oops THAT ZELDA ENEMY?
> 
> If have no idea if that’s how that ability works but I’ve come down with a severe case of because I said so.
> 
> Yeah, I couldn’t think of what it would say beyond ‘HA HA MOTHERFUCKERS’ so everyone conveniently ignored it out of spite.
> 
> Subtle as a goddamn firework, this boy.
> 
> I know far too much about knives now. Bushcraft knives are very cool though, well worth looking up if you like pointy things or survival tools.
> 
> This is the longest chapter so far, can you tell i’ve been thinking about this one a while?


	4. Legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some problems require a creative solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> Legend wouldn't shut up and had a severe case of emotional constipation, so this was the chapter that never bloody ended. Also I didn't know what the hell to write for the beginning until yesterday and the end until today.
> 
> On the upside, everyone seemed to like the last long af chapter, and this is even longer.
> 
> Please enjoy!

—-

 

You would think he’d have learnt by now not to get attached.

 

Not to places, never to people. And it was just stupid to get attached to something as easily broken as a weapon.

 

But Legend was always dreadful at following his own advice.

 

They’d only been in Wild’s time for two days so far, not long enough to get used to how startlingly empty it was. They’d known what to expect, this was the second time they’d been here after all, but the first time they’d been too busy trying to find the newest hero to really pay attention to the landscape. Now though, the shells of buildings, ruins being reclaimed by nature and broken machinery were too obvious to ignore. Wild navigated between them all with ease, at home in the destruction. Depressingly so.

 

They weren’t too surprised to be attacked, considering the circumstances. What did surprise them was the ferocity at which the collection of Wizzrobes and Bokoblins fought, and the black smoke pouring from every orifice on the monster’s bodies. They were taking far too long to kill, and Legend knew that whatever malevolent force had been stalking the group was somehow responsible. 

 

Legend’s sword had been knocked from his hands, sailing into the undergrowth. Warrior had chucked him the Fire Rod without missing a beat, and Legend used the stream of fire to keep the bulk of the enemies at range while they dealt with the Wizzrobes. However, he somehow managed to forget that Wizzrobes were ambush predators and was completely blindsided by one particularly brave - or stupid - one that appeared directly in his line of sight.

 

Legend swung the Fire Rod towards it, but it grabbed the head of the rod and pointed it diagonally upwards, sending the fire shooting harmlessly into the air. It giggled, showing off a wide mouth of overly-pointed teeth, because every enemy in Wild’s world was ridiculously creepy, before swinging itself up to hover next to the rod. With an unexpected amount of strength it wrenched the Fire Rod from Legend’s hands and spun it in the air, swinging the heavy power orb atop it straight at Legend’s head.

 

Somehow he managed to catch it before it made impact although it damn near knocked him off his feet. Palms stinging with the force and arms shaking, Legend held it inches away from his head while the monster did its best to pull the rod away again. It screeched in annoyance when Legend didn’t let go, black smoke dripping between its teeth.

 

Then, it flew higher. The Fire Rod moved with it, angling down, pressure increasing in Legend’s arms as he struggled to keep it at bay. It took the fire magic sparking under his hands, metal suddenly scorching hot, before he realised what the Wizzrobe intended.

 

The rod was pointed straight at Legend’s face.

 

It was going to burn him alive with his own weapon.

 

Legend couldn’t move. If he dropped the rod he’d only speed up the inevitable, as there was nowhere for it to go but into his face. The spread of magic released from the weapon was wide enough that it would catch him even if he tried to dodge away. His arms and hands were screaming in pain from the heat and pressure of keeping the damn thing away.

 

There was nothing he could do.

 

_ There was nothing he could do. _

 

He was going to die.

 

The orb sparked, magic swirling and gathering, ready to release. Legend pushed the hysteria, the anger, the fear away and closed his eyes. Accepted his fate.

 

Only to open them again, startled by the angry howl to his left as Wild charged straight for him.

 

Both he and the Wizzrobe could only watch as Wild brought a massive club swinging down, straight at the handle of the Fire Rod.

 

It gave a sickening, splintering  _ snap. _

 

The magic had nowhere to go but out.

 

Legend was thrown to the grass by a combination of the sudden loss of pressure on his arms and the wave of magic that exploded outwards from the destroyed rod, mostly escaping upwards but enough reaching him that he suffered a few, thankfully shallow, burns to his face. His arms and hands were worse off, being closer to the explosion. They were now peeling and blistering with uncomfortable speed.

 

The Wizzrobe caught on fire, flames racing up its form and setting it ablaze before another swing from Wild’s club put it out of its misery.

 

Nine heroes panted with exertion as their makeshift battlefield fell silent, the last bokoblin’s cries gurgling out around Hyrule’s sword. 

 

Legend could only stare at the sky, clutching the head of his oldest and most powerful weapon with raw fingers.

 

\---

 

Kakariko village had been just around the corner, thankfully, and the group had enough potions and elixirs on them to heal Legend enough to get him there in minimal pain. Night was falling just as they entered the village, and mostly quiet streets greeted them as Wild led them towards the inn.

 

Legend’s face was pulled taut in pain and aggravation, every movement jarring his healing wounds. He was in a foul mood and he knew it, seething with anger at his injuries, the shock of nearly dying and the loss of his weapon.  And as shameful as it was, Wild had been the main recipient of his ire. An easy target.

 

He knew it was stupid, he  _ knew.  _ It was just a bloody weapon, but it was  _ his, _ it had been with him through every adventure without so much as a chip or crack to show its age. It had saved his life again and again, saved his friend's lives, taken out all manner of enemies and after all of that it was a stupid goddess-damned  _ Wizzrobe  _ that had nearly ended him with it. And Wild was the one that broke it.

 

Wild was the only reason he wasn’t bloody dead but it hadn’t stopped Legend from snapping and snarling at him any time Wild had come near him, whether to help him up or hand him another potion. At one point he’d full on screamed at him, completely livid and raving, only half making sense but still continuing to spit vile words and accusations. And Wild had just taken it. No arguments, no pushback, not any real expression on his face, just quiet acceptance.

 

Honestly, that kind of made it worse.

 

The others had more than made up for it, though. Twilight in particular was spectacularly angry with him, demanding he apologise and snarling right back at him when he wouldn’t. The wolf in him ran close under the surface at times like this.

 

Legend had weathered Time’s disappointment, Wind and Four’s indignation and bitter, angry silence from the others. Warrior had been the only other person who seemed to get it, and even he was gruff with Legend, forcing another potion roughly into his hands every few minutes until they were moving up the steps of the inn.

 

Wild had quietly secured them rooms from the sleepy innkeeper while the others filtered inside, and it was unanimously decided that it would be an early night for all of them. Twilight promptly dragged Wild, hood up and eyes down, off to one room with Four. Warrior chivied Legend into another one, Hyrule following them, and dumped two more potions on Legend’s bed before promptly falling onto his own with his back to the room. 

 

The last of the burns and blisters fading, his injuries mild enough for potions to heal him nearly the whole way, Legend fell into an uncomfortable and petulant sleep as he tried to ignore the well-deserved judgement emanating from his roommates. The last words he said to Wild ringing through his head as he slipped under.

 

_ “You break everything!” _

 

—-

 

It was extremely telling of how quickly he had become comfortable around the others that Legend didn’t wake up straight away when there was movement in the room.

 

In fact, it took Wild accidentally kicking Legend’s bed for him to jolt awake, mentally startled but keeping his body lax and still. Eyes closed, he listened to the sound of muffled, deliberately controlled breathing and hoped his playing dead was convincing. After a minute, Wild moved again. Legend could just about hear his footfalls as he crept through the room, and lost track of him completely once he reached the hallway. Giving Wild a few more seconds, Legend slipped out of bed. He was just about to go after him, confront him about creeping around in the middle of the night when something caught his eye.

 

His bag had been moved. Just slightly, but enough.

 

Suspicions growing, Legend pulled his bag open and rifled through it. 

 

The pieces of the Fire Rod were gone.

 

_ ‘That little…!’ _

 

Goddesses damn it, couldn’t he leave well enough alone? What the hell did he think he was doing, creeping around in the middle of the night with a broken weapon? Was this some weird payback for being yelled at?

 

Legend wanted answers and he was going to get them. Wild wasn’t the only sneaky one after all.

 

—-

 

Fifteen minutes later, Legend was behind a bush.

 

He’d managed to sneak out of the window dressed only in his long sleeved undertunic and boots and reached the front of the inn just in time to spot Wild darting around the side of a house. He’d managed, barely, to tail him to the village boundaries without catching his attention, and when they reached the stone walls it had been the work of moments to  _ shift _ and continue the chase from a different perspective.

 

Wild wouldn’t be checking his surroundings for a  _ painting  _ after all.

 

Wild had unwittingly led him out of the village, up a slope where one of the eerie shrines stood sentinel over the village, and deep into the woodland. He had stopped several times, crouched in the grass, eyes and ears attuned to anything out of place. Watching. Making sure no one was following him. Legend had to fall still at those times, hidden as best he could behind trees or rocks and wait for Wild to move on in order to pursue him.

 

He couldn’t let him out of his sight. The idiot was ridiculously quiet when he wanted to be, and it’d be only too easy to lose him. However it had been a while since he’d used this power and the change in perspective was taking a bit of getting used to. 

 

That was Legend’s excuse for letting Wild get so far ahead of him anyway.

 

Legend was slipping around the cliffside when he heard him speak.

 

“...think you can help?”

 

Now curious as to who the hell Wild was talking to in the woods in the middle of the night, Legend crept soundlessly around the last bend and behind a convenient plant, out of sight. His painted eyes took in the scene before him.

 

A giant glowing flower pond wasn’t exactly what he was expecting.

 

But the enormous fairy leaning half out of it, dwarfing Wild with her sheer size and power, was enough to make him pop out of the wall in shock.

 

She was immense, far more so than any fairy he’d ever seen, clothed in gems and iridescent scales. Light flowed from both her and her flower pool, swirling into eddies in the air around her. Small pink fairies darted here and there around her, chasing each other and playing in the wind. She held the pieces of his fire rod in one large palm and was gently turning them this way and that with a manicured finger while Wild hovered on the golden ramp leading up to her fountain.

 

“Hmmm...you have brought me a challenge, boy!” Wild tensed a little at that, but relaxed again as the fairly lifted her gaze and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “It’s been a long time since I’ve stretched my abilities like this. Reproducing it will be interesting!”

 

Wild sighed in relief, his shoulders slumping the only thing Legend could see of him from his position hidden in the foliage. Legend felt hope rise unbidden in his chest. Wild had gone out of his way to bring the Fire Rod here, if he thought this fairy could help then maybe...

 

The fairy reached out and tapped Wild on the head with one finger, making him jolt in surprise.

 

“Don’t relax just yet! This was a  _ highly _ magical item, with a lot of complicated spells and components that will need to be recreated exactly for it to work as before.” She fixed him with a serious gaze. “It will require a lot of materials.”

 

Wild nodded. Legend couldn’t see his expression, but he was familiar enough with his companion’s special brand of reckless determination to imagine it well.

 

“What do you need?”

 

The fairy tapped her lip in thought, considering the chunks of formally magical staff in her hand.

 

“This was fire magic, correct? I’ll need rubies, and a lot of them, to recreate the level of power this held. Forty should be enough.”

 

Legend winced. The hell was he going to get rubies from, let alone that many?

 

“A diamond for the settings since durability will be paramount. No, two diamonds. I’ll need one to craft the power regulator so it doesn’t overload as it did before. These,” She touched the half-destroyed white leaf like structures that flared out when the rod was used, “Will require a magically charged, fireproof material. And something to house it all. A spear or other staff-like weapon will do, but it must be of high quality. Preferably lightweight and metal.”

 

Legend was glad he was already out of the wall  so he could bury his face in his hands. Despair ran through him, crushing any brief hope he had of Wild’s plan working. Rare gemstones, weaponry, unknown materials...How in Hyrule was he supposed to find all of that? The group would be yanked into another time and place before he found even a quarter of what he needed. What was the point for one - admittedly well loved and very powerful - weapon?

 

Legend suppressed a sigh, preparing to stand up and stop Wild from carrying this any further. It was kind of him to try and find a solution, unexpectedly so especially considering Legend’s earlier behaviour, but unless he just so happened to be lugging around half a quarry worth of gems in his bag there was no point Wild wasting fairy favours on a hopeless cause.

 

“Okay, the rubies I can do.”

 

...Eh!?

 

Wild was elbow deep in his slate, and as Legend and the Fairy watched, he pulled out a couple of uncut red gemstones. More and more appeared from the depths of the ancient tablet and Wild stacked them in the Fairy’s hand until it was nearly overflowing.

 

To say Legend was gobsmacked would be an understatement.

 

Wild frowned at the slate, flicking through several screens.

 

“I’m out of diamonds but I know where I can get some. I’ll be able to get something for the staff part there too, it’s just the leaf material…” Wild flicked into another screen and paused. Grinned. Shoved his hand into the slate and pulled out something large and blue and pale, shimmering with elemental water magic.

 

“Would a dragon scale work?”

 

_...dragon scale? _

 

_ A fucking dragon scale?!? _

 

The fairy smirked.

 

“I imagine that will work perfectly, my dear hero. As long as it’s fire magic of course.”

 

“Dinraal should be active soon, I’ll swing by Tabantha Bridge and get one.” Wild placed the pointed scale back into his slate. “Can you hang on to the rubies for me until I get back?”

 

The fairy waved him away. 

 

“Of course. Take your time, I’ll start crafting these into a power source while you’re gone. Give my regards to my sister while you’re in Tabantha, will you?”

 

Wild smiled, nodded and tapped at his slate. Blue lines surrounded him and he disappeared without another word.

 

Legend stared at the place Wild had been, feeling very off-kilter by the events of the past five minutes.

 

_ Swing by for a dragon scale, how in the fuck…? _

 

The woodland was peaceful, only the rustling wind and night-going animal noises piercing the still air but it did nothing to calm Legend’s racing thoughts. Too much had happened in a short space of time and he was struggling to force his tired brain to process it all.

 

Of course he would be interrupted.

 

“Well then, is my other heroic visitor planning to spend all night hiding?”

 

Legend jumped so hard that he put his foot straight through the bush in shock. A raucous laugh greeted him, the fairy throwing her head back and cackling into her free hand in delight as Legend fought his way free of the now destroyed foliage.

 

“Goodness, clearly elegance is a trait neither you or dear Link have acquired on your travels.” She gave Legend an indulgent smirk as he stood on the path, struggling to rid himself of the twigs and leaves caught in his hair. He grimaced, yanking a leaf out of the neck of his tunic and fixing the giant being with a glower. Her smile only widened.

 

“How’d you know I was there?”

 

“My dear, you were positively  _ leaking _ magic. I could have spotted you from the next region. That’s a very rare item that you have there, but it’s hardly subtle.” She looked at the fragments of weaponry in her hand, tumbling around with the uncut gemstones. “Much like this poor staff. Are all of your belongings like that?”

 

“...There is no possible way you could know that’s mine.”

 

“It’s saturated with your magical signature, it’s clearly yours to those who know what to look for. And I…” She winked, long eyelashes fluttering against her cheek. “...Am very observant.”

 

She tittered at Legend’s expression, halfway between confusion and vague offense, and settled back into her pool. Once comfortable she set the handful of gems and weapon parts on the platform in front of her, and proceeded to pick out a stone at a time from the sizeable pile. One by one, she compressed the stones between finger and thumb, pulverising them and leaving only glittering dust and a vibrant red magical essence. As each gem was destroyed she added the magic to the growing ball of pulsing energy gathering in her left palm.

 

A few stones in, she glanced back up at her visitor. 

 

“Dear boy, I can hear you thinking from here. Feel free, the questions will be good entertainment until Link returns.”

 

Legend shook off the weirdness of hearing his own name used to refer to someone else. It never stopped being unsettling, even two months into travelling with the others.

 

“Who exactly are you?”

 

“Why, I’m the Great Fairy Cotera!” She paused in her crafting to flourish her free hand. “One of the most powerful beings all of Hyrule! Capable of incredible feats of magic, such as spells of protection from the harshest of elements and most powerful of foes.”

 

“And you’re using that power...to recreate my Fire Rod.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

“Why?”

 

“As I said before, it’s an interesting challenge. For the longest time the people of Hyrule forgot that we even existed, although Link has been doing his best to change that, the dear. But in my heyday, oh! My sisters and I would craft beautiful spells, exquisite weaponry, all manner of lovely things. If nothing else this is a good opportunity to polish up my skills.” She carefully blew the accumulated ruby dust from the edge of the pool. The plantlife shimmered where the dust landed, residual magic clinging to leaves and petals.

 

“Doesn’t seem like the sort of thing you should be doing for free.” Legend shifted where he stood, unconsciously moving closer to the pool. His voice was suspicious but his eyes gleamed with interest where he watched Cotera continue to work.

 

“For free? Heavens, no!” Cotera chucked into ruby-speckled fingertips. “You did hear the list of materials needed? A rich payment indeed is needed for work this fine. Diamond, ruby and dragonscale, all rare and powerful. It’s a good thing that Link is resourceful, or you wouldn’t get this back in working order.”

 

Legend eyed the ball of fire energy in her palm, particles of magic swirling and shifting as if the surface was caught in a perpetual wind.

 

“How is that payment if all the materials are being used to make the rod?”

 

“Look there.” Cotera pointed to the surrounding plants, now covered with ruby dust. As Legend watched, the residual magic sunk slowly into the foliage. The dust fell to the soil, and it too was absorbed before his eyes. The forest seemed to breathe then, a great and joyful gasp as new magic flooded into the intricate web that was the local ecosystem. Flowers bloomed, leaves grew and unfurled, fairies chimed and danced as the feeling of renewal washed over them. Legend himself even felt revived, lingering tiredness and pain from his healing burns swept away. The forest was bright and green and  _ alive _ in the moonlight, and he was too.

 

Cotera regarded him with knowing eyes, magic and life dancing under her skin as she too felt the vibrancy of the forest’s new energy. She met his wondering gaze and gave him a gentle smile.

 

“The greater the magical being, the more fixed it is to one location. My sisters and I rarely leave our domains; partly because we are tied to the very essence of our lands and to leave could spell disaster if we aren’t careful, and partly because we don’t really need to. Our magic runs deep, in every root and trickle of water, in every pebble and every wave. I can sense most everything, and if I can’t then my sisters can and they can let me know, or the Deku Tree can, or the Lord of the Mountain. Even the Great Dragons with their relative freedom allow themselves to become part of the collective magic of Hyrule every sunrise. Knowledge is shared freely between the great powers of this world, and together we keep an eye on the land as best we can.”

 

She sighed then, idly spinning the magic in her palm with a flick of her wrist.

 

“However, in return we Fairies are dependant on the mortal beings of this land. Just as with all life, we must co-exist with the wider world in order to thrive. In times past, those from all races would pilgrimage to our Fountains for blessings, for spells, even to die. They would awaken us with an offering, and provide materials that we - as fixed beings - could not easily obtain, and we would oblige them. The remnants of the crafting process are far more valuable than the spells themselves to us, so it is no hardship. The minerals and residual magic released by our art nourish both us and the land we reside in, and so Hyrule benefits as a whole. The energy will spread deep into the earth, plants will grow with new vigour and the animal life will flourish.”

 

“You said that the people of Hyrule had forgotten about you.” Legend had come closer and was now perched on the edge of the platform. He gazed up at Cotera, the suspicion in his voice washed away by the energy of the forest and the truth in the Fairy’s words. “How did that happen? You aren’t exactly forgettable. This...” He gestured to the pool and to the forest, encompassing it all including the faint unexplainable music and the curious fairies who were drawing ever closer. “...Isn’t something that can be easily overlooked.”

 

“What happened, dear one? The Calamity happened.”

 

Cotera visibly drooped, sinking further into her pool.

 

“The great powers of this world...ha! We could do nothing to protect the land from Ganon. We care for the earth, the magic, and that is the way we help the people of Hyrule. Ganon...well, you know yourself. Ganon is pure Power. Twisted, ancient, darkness. While Life will always find a way...evil brings destruction that few can survive.”

 

She considered the magic in her hand. Red though it was, it was beautiful and vibrant, natural. Nothing like the vile pulsating slither of red-black evil that had devoured so much of her lands.

 

“The people of this land were decimated. The land was infected. It took years upon years for our magic to heal what had been done, and it still took the sealing of the Calamity by Link and Zelda’s hands for the last strongholds of malice to fall to our power. And once our magic had sunk into the earth and we were spent, there was nothing to replace our energy. What good is a pilgrimage to visit an immortal being when your whole life has been shredded before your eyes and you are trying to survive to see the next dawn? We faded from memory, and we faded in power. Even if someone did come looking, they did not suspect the dull, lifeless remains of our fountains to be anything other than yet another of the ruins that litter the world. We languished in our pools, near despair, for such a long time.”

 

“...and then?”

 

“Then, Link awoke.”

 

Cotera smiled. Her eyes were fixed on a point above Legend’s head, gazing into the distance.

 

“He came to Kakariko, scarred and weak and ever so young, only to be met with ridiculously high expectations and given near-impossible tasks. I’m sure in your travels together you have noticed that he tends to wander when he needs to clear his mind, so while exploring around the village he came across my fountain. He listened to my story and gave me an offering of rupees, which restored my strength enough that I could help him with a few small upgrades. Defensive, mostly. But as he journeyed he found the other fountains and restored the power of my sisters, and so with our full strength restored we were able to help him to the full extent of our abilities.”

 

Cotera’s voice was solemn, and she spoke as though intoning a sacred truth.

 

“He need not fear burning flame nor freezing ice, and he may scale the widest river and highest mountain at great speed. He may move unseen and unheard, and the night will spirit him away. The harshest blows are but the lightest taps to him, and he shall never again fall to a Guardian's beam.”

 

She paused then, seemingly remembering Legend was there, and looked back down at him.

 

“As long as he wears the right clothing of course.” She added with a smile playing at her lips.

 

As she explained what she had her sisters had done for him, and he for them, Legend could only sit in astonishment. They’d all known Wild had an unusually powerful assortment of clothes, far more than the rest of them had ever acquired. The whole Snowquill outfit made him impervious to freezing, which had saved Vio’s - and by extension, Four’s - life. They’d seen a lot of the Climber’s outfit, as it made scouting from high places very quick and easy, and at one point Twilight and Wild had raced using their respective Zora Armour which Wild had easily won. No-one had ever really questioned why these clothes were so powerful, just accepting them as another of the many odd things about Wild.

 

For Wild, these clothes had meant many hours of acquiring materials from dangerous beasts and hunting down elusive plants and animals. They had also meant chasing down vague rumours of Fairy Fountains long forgotten and re-awakening some of the greatest powers in Hyrule, scattered throughout the many regions of this world. With rupees.

 

“Hang on, question. What in Hylia’s name do Fairies want with rupees? You said you needed them to restore your power, but how does that work?”

 

“My dear, rupees aren’t just pretty stones. Rupee ore is a highly magically absorbent material, and rupees carry that ability with them to every corner of Hyrule! Everyone who handles a rupee leaves a trace of their natural magic within it. Nothing that would leave a permanent effect, living beings generate it back as quickly as they do blood, but enough. By the time a rupee reaches me, it holds a tremendous amount of power. Enough to restore myself and my sisters to our former glory, if a large enough offering is made.”

 

Legend decided he didn’t want to know how much Wild had been required to raise to free all of Cotera’s sisters. He had a feeling, given Cotera’s obvious power, that the answer would be distressingly high.

 

In the distance, there was a newly-familiar sound. Wild’s teleportation.

 

Cotera sat up straighter, smile growing.

 

“And here comes my dear Link now. If you don’t want him to know you were here, I suggest you find a good hiding spot.”

 

Legend managed to get back into the wall and behind a tree before Wild appeared. He was dripping wet, clad in his Zora Armour, but was quickly drying out due to the fact that he was holding a red-orange scale as big as his head. The heat coming off it was causing him to visibly steam in the night air, but he didn’t seem bothered. As soon as he reached Cotera he handed over the scale and tapped at his slate, changing back into his usual tunic and trousers.

 

“Sorry that took so long. The first two scales weren’t very big and I wanted to make sure I had enough material.”

 

Legend felt his jaw drop. Wild was insane, why the hell would he go to that much effort?

 

“By the goddesses, you are brave to approach Dinraal that many times. He is known for his  _ fiery  _ temper after all.”

 

“Ugh, that was awful!”

 

“I try.”

 

“He’s a bit grumpy, but nothing I’m not used to. Oh, here’s the diamonds.” Wild handed over two glittering clusters of prisms, clear and bright in the glow of the pool, along with two smaller scales. “And for the shaft I’ve got this, will it work?” He pulled a long, thin spear out of his slate. It was topped with symmetrical twin blades shaped like a tail fin, one of which bore an extra serrated point at it’s tip.

 

“A silverscale spear? My my, has someone been raiding the Zora Armoury?” Cotera teased, reaching out to take the weapon from Wild. She had set the ball of fire magic to her right with the dragon scales, and the air shimmered with their combined heat.

 

_ Raiding the goddamn Zora Armoury? No, she has to be joking. _

 

“I asked first! I ran into Sidon while I was in the domain, and he helped me find an extra durable spear on the condition that I brought everyone over for a visit soon.”

 

_ Apparently not. _

 

...Wild was going to far too much trouble for one stupid weapon. Legend didn’t deserve this. 

 

“Well, this is an excellent choice. It will make a fine base for the Fire Rod.” Cotera placed it to the side, next to the pieces of Legend’s original Fire Rod. She pulled the red orb from the top of the broken rod, and sat it on the platform in front of her. With one swipe of a fingernail she lopped the head off of the Silverscale spear, sending it sailing into the grass near Legend’s position, and scored threads into the now-flat shaft. Gently, Cotera fitted the orb and shaft together. Flipping the weapon over, Cotera rounded off the point from the bottom of the spear and set the half-completed rod aside.

 

A diamond was crushed in her palm, becoming bizarrely malleable rather than turning to dust as the rubies had. Carefully she moulded the gem like clay, forming it into a housing that joined the orb and shaft together. For being sculpted with fingertips and fingernails, it was beautifully intricate. Cotera clearly hadn’t lost any of her skill during the long years of dormancy.

 

The dragon scales were taken up then, and six long leaf shapes were carved from them. These, and a few small ruby chunks that Cotera had put aside from the original rod, were affixed to the housing with the second diamond in a way that allowed them to be deployed when the weapon was active. This was firmly done, and Cotera took her time with it, determined that it would not be subject to another overload.

 

Cotera brushed her hands together, letting the remaining diamond fall into the nearby plantlife, and then turned her attention to the ball of fire magic. Pinching into the ball with two fingers, she drew out a thin stream of magic and guided it into the completed weapon. Once it touched the orb the magic seemed to know what to do, and it drew itself into the rod without any assistance. It glowed throughout the weapon, settling itself down and slowly fading, until the Fire Rod sat completely dormant but beautifully whole.

 

Cotera sighed, satisfaction in every line of her face.

 

“Magnificent. Truly magnificent. My skill has never been more clear.” She picked up the rod between finger and thumb and admired it from all angles. It was flawless. With a flourish she held it out to Wild, who took it gently and examined it himself.

 

“It’s perfect, it looks amazing. Thank you so much!” Even tired as he clearly was, Wild was ecstatic, holding the Fire Rod more carefully than Legend had ever seen him handle a weapon before. 

 

“You are most welcome, dear boy. It was a pleasure, truly, to turn my hand to more elaborate work.”

 

“Legend is going to lose his mind when he sees it, I’ve got to get back to the inn before everyone wakes up...” Wild paused then, frantically thinking. “...How am I going to explain how I got it?”

 

“Do your travelling companions not know of Fairy Fountains?” Cotera was curious now, resting her chin on her palm as she regarded Wild.

 

“They do, but Fairy Fountains aren’t quite the same where they’re from. From what they’ve said, it’s mainly healing that’s offered there, and a couple of them can have certain weapons or items upgraded.”

 

“How dull. In a way it is satisfying to know that I and the girls are the most versatile of the Great Fairies, but those other Links truly are missing out.”

 

“...hey, how did you know they are…” 

 

“Why, the Hero’s Spirit of course! I could sense it from the moment you arrived in this land. Nine boys that resonate with the same strength of courage, the same connection to the Master Sword and more similarities besides, you were unmistakable.” Cotera pointed one long finger at Wild, fixing him with a playfully stern glare that was tempered by a wide grin. “I must insist that you bring them here to meet me, considering the state of their Great Fairies I imagine there is a lot I can do to help you all on your journey. Especially if they are all as reckless as you are, Link dear.”

 

“Heh, I’m definitely the worst one for recklessness. But I promise I will bring them up after we’ve spoken to Impa. I’m curious actually, I want to see if you’ll recognise one of them...”

 

“Another challenge? Very well, I shall have to see which of the seven I have met before!”

 

“Seven? I’m travelling with eight friends.”

 

Cotera only smirked, ignoring Wild’s confusion to look at the tree a painted Legend was hiding behind.

 

“Come now, surely you want to see the result of my efforts?”

 

There was a pause, and then a pop, and Legend skulked around the tree trunk. For the second time that night he fixed Cotera with a glower, and for the second time she was delighted by it.

 

“Thanks for that.”

 

“Oh my dear, you never would have made it back into the village before him. The awkwardness was already unbearable, I couldn’t subject all of Kakariko to that. Better to get it over with now.”

 

Sighing in a very put upon manner, Legend stalked over to the fountain. He slowed as he drew closer, however. Wild was stock-still and tense, a position that made it clear he was a hair-trigger away from bolting off into the woodland. As Legend stopped, hovering a few feet away, Wild visibly gathered himself and held out the Fire Rod with one hand.

 

“Here, all sorted. Sorry I broke it.”

 

His voice was small, noticeably subdued compared to when he had spoken to Cotera. He wouldn’t look Legend in the eye, gaze fixed on the handle of Fire Rod hovering in the air between them.

 

Legend glanced at it, and then back to Wild. He let out a frustrated noise and strode forward, ducking around the rod and pulling Wild into a fierce hug. Wild actually became less tense despite the shock, arms coming up automatically around Legend. Clearly all that work Twilight had been doing to get him used to affection was paying off.

 

“I was a dick.” Legend rested his chin on Wild’s shoulder, glaring off into the distance. “Shouldn’t have yelled at you.” He squeezed Wild gently, ashamed of how hard it was to get the words out. “...I’m sorry.”

 

“...Wait, you don’t have to apologise - ”

 

“Shut up, yes I do. I’m an arsehole but damn if I won’t admit that I screwed up.” Legend pulled back, hands sliding down to hold Wild’s arms. Wild looked so confused, far more so than when Legend had yelled at him, and that really hurt.

 

“You saved my life back there. If you hadn’t smashed the Fire Rod it would have burned me alive, I know exactly how much power was in it and I wouldn’t have survived that. And then all I did was give you shit for it, and you still went so far out of your way to fix the damn thing when you had no reason to. I’m sorry. And the words mean fuck all without something to back them up, so I’m going to figure out a way to prove it.”

 

Legend was fuming at the end of this, looking Wild straight in the eye and trying to convey with his gaze alone just how repentant he felt. It probably came across more than a bit angry, but Wild seemed to get it nonetheless. Confusion gave way to understanding, gave way to a tentative smile.

 

“I’ll hold you to that.”

 

“You better.”

 

“Oh, now that was  _ precious.” _

 

Both boys startled, clutching each other’s sleeves and twisting around to stare wide-eyed at Cotera. Somehow they’d managed to completely forget she was there. Legend blamed the ridiculous amount of  _ emotion _ that had been bandied about.

 

Cotera tittered, taking in their startled expressions.

 

“I would say to carry on, but as amusing as it is watching the two of you, the sun will rise soon. Haven’t you got somewhere to be?”

 

And so it was that after quickly thanking Cotera again and reiterating the promise Wild had made to bring the others up to see her, the two boys made their way back down the path towards the village. The horizon had taken on a glow that signalled the sunrise as the two of them rounded the cliff-side, and it was next to the shrine that the two of them paused to take in the breaking dawn. Kakariko was peaceful and quiet in the early morning light.

 

“You know…” Wild said after a few moments, turning to face Legend with a grin. “You haven’t tested this out yet.” He held out the Fire Rod, the first rays of sun catching the gems and sending them sparkling. Legend took it with a grin of his own, testing the weight in his hands and finding it satisfyingly heavy and balanced, before swinging it up to point at the lightening sky.

 

Light spiralled from the rounded base to the top of the shaft, flinging the amplifying leaves out as it passed and gathering in the central orb. With a deep, resonant  _ boom _ fire shot forth, flames shooting fifty feet up into the air and throwing their surroundings into a shocking contrast of light and shadow. Legend could just about see Wild’s face in the glare, teeth white in his open mouth as he shrieked in excitement. 

 

It took him a second to realise he was shrieking too. Their joined voices faded away with the flames, the power retreating back into the rod leaving only steaming grass and the cries of startled wildlife to show its presence.

 

Legend let the rod fall back into his palms, the shaft comfortingly warm and familiar. It was good to have it back.

 

“How much power did she put into this thing? I swear I never got the flames to go that far before!”

 

“No idea. The Great Fairies have been known to go overboard, and forty rubies is a lot for one item. I think I’ve only ever spent twenty five total on something before, and that’s really powerful.”

 

“Huh. Can’t say I’m complaining.” Legend took in the weapon for a moment more, gleaming innocently in his hands. “Well, before we head back…” He held the fire rod out to Wild, smirking at the excited expression that overtook his friends face.

 

“Your turn.”

 

—-

 

Not long after sunrise, the others stumbled into the main room of the inn. Hyrule was basically dragging a half-asleep Sky along, Wind was hanging off of Time’s sleeve and yawning widely, and Twilight was frantically searching the room for Wild and Legend. Their beds had been cold and empty, and after yesterday’s debacle there was no way he was leaving them alone together.

 

So the sound of their combined laughter echoing from one of the tables nearby was something of a surprise.

 

Legend and Wild were sitting together, shoulders touching as they looked at something on the screen of the Sheikah Slate. Two small girls were perched on chairs to either side of them, both staring wide eyed at whatever they were being shown, and as Twilight approached them there was a loud  _ fwoosh _ from the slate that had the children screeching in glee.

 

“Again! Again!” The smaller girl demanded, yanking at Legend’s tunic. The other child bounced on her chair, nearly falling off before Wild steadied her with a hand.

 

“You really want to see that for a fourth time?” Legend asked, mock-aghast. The girl giggled at his play-acting, hiding a smile behind cupped hands. “Wild, are all your friends this crazy?”

 

“I don’t know,  _ are _ you?”

 

Both children burst out laughing.

 

“You see, kids?” Legend gestured dramatically, hamming it up to make the children laugh even harder. The group of four were getting indulgent looks from the rest of the Sheikah in the inn, the other heroes mostly bemused. “This is the Link you don’t get to see. Rude!”

 

“Koko thinks Link isn’t rude!”

 

“Well, that’s because you don’t travel with him. But secretly he’s pretty rude!”

 

“You rude!” The smaller girl managed to force out between giggles.

 

Legend gasped, feigning great offence. “Rude?!  _ Moi?  _ NEVER. _ ” _

 

“Of course not, perish the thought.” Time broke in, relaxed and smirking. He winked at Wild and the girls, setting off another round of laughter. Legend rolled his eyes, softening his exasperated look with a grin. The table was plenty big enough, so Time helped himself to another chair across from them all. The others filtered in as well with obvious curiosity.

 

“Are you going to introduce us to your young lady friends?”

 

“Oh, sorry! Everyone, this is Koko and Cottla.” Wild quickly introduced the girls to the rest of the group. “Koko offered to help me make breakfast but it started to rain, so we thought we’d hide in here until it stopped. Girls, these are the friends I told you about.” He went round and named them all, the children waving and smiling to each of them.

 

“...And Legend, who you’ve already met this morning.”

 

“He’s silly!” Cottla managed to exclaim behind her cupped hands.

 

“First rude, then silly? Which is it?” Legend teased. Cottla didn’t respond beyond continuing to giggle, little legs swinging as she sat in the chair to his side.

 

“Link!” A Sheikah man approached the table, casting a slightly suspicious eye over the group and getting several back in return. Oddly, he seemed to approve. “Good to see you back. I hope the girls haven't been a bother?”

 

“Not at all, they’ve been excellent company. Guys, this is the girl’s dad, Dorian. He’s one of the village guards.”

 

With introductions made Wild left the table, wanting to speak to Dorian about taking the group up to see Impa. The children followed, pulling at their father’s tunic and leaving Legend with the others.

 

“Someone’s in good spirits today.” Twilight’s tone was a more than a little suspicious, but he didn’t care. Mercurial moods were common amongst the group, but for Legend to go from snarling at Wild every other second to helping him entertain kids and cheerful teasing within the span of a night?

 

Legend only smirked, tapping the Sheikah slate a few times before turning it around and showing them all the screen.

 

They hadn’t seen much of the video function, Wild explaining that video tended to eat up the holding space inside the slate far quicker than pictures, but it appeared he’d made an exception for this. On the screen Legend stood just outside the shrine overlooking the village. In his hand was a long staff, the head of which was out of frame.

 

_ ‘Ready?’   _ Legend was visibly excited, shifting from foot to foot in the grass. The video bounced and jostled as the view pulled back a bit, showing more of the scene. Wild’s voice was next, closer to the slate. Presumably he was controlling the shot.

 

_ ‘Yeah, go for it!’ _

 

Their voices were tinny and quiet, muffled through the Slate’s speakers, but the sound that followed when Legend swung the staff weapon upwards was near deafening. The video tracked to follow the head of the weapon and the plume of fire that shot from it, a good fifty feet upwards and spreading out to form a loose cone shape. The fire died off, and the last second or so of the video was of Legend holding the weapon - a fire rod, slightly different in design to his old one - above his head with both hands. He was laughing, the video too far away to pick up the sound, and his hair was tousled and wind blown in the dawn light.

 

The video shut off. 

 

“Woah!” Wind was the first to respond, kneeling on his chair so he could see the slate better. “How’d you get a new Fire Rod?”

 

“Turns out Wild knows a guy. Girl.” Legend’s smile turned rueful. “He surprised me with it this morning, spent all of last night getting the bits together for it.”

 

“It looks powerful.” Warrior was visibly impressed.

 

“It is, way more than my old one. Part of the reason Wild wanted to take the video was so we could show you without firing it off in the village. Pyromania is apparently only fun when it destroys monsters.”

 

“What was the other reason?”

 

“It looks awesome!” Wild rejoined the table, grinning. “Koko and I are starting breakfast now, and when we’ve eaten Dorian will let us up to see Impa. You guys coming? Koko said something about hot buttered apples…”

 

That got everyone moving, the group quickly filtering outside to the cooking pot. Twilight hung back, grabbing Legend’s arm as the others left. Time hovered by the doorway, watching them.

 

“You owe him an apology.”

 

“I know.” Legend didn’t try and pull free, looking Twilight straight in the eye. “I was an arse and he didn’t deserve it. I’ve told him I’m sorry, and I’m planning on a proper apology as soon as I get the opportunity.”

 

Twilight glared at him for a moment longer, searching his face, before appearing to decide he was serious. He dropped Legend’s arm, nodding. 

 

“Wait, that’s it? No death threats, no overprotective bullshit?”

 

“Nah, you mean it. You’ve never flaked on something like this, can’t see you doing it now.”

 

“Besides,” Time added from over his shoulder, turning to head out of the doorway. “You’re smart enough to know if you don’t, you’ll have all of us breathing down your neck.”

 

“Ugh, don’t I know it.”

 

—-

 

“Oi, Wild.”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“I forgot to ask earlier - how exactly did you have forty rubies already floating around in your slate?”

 

“Oh, I didn’t. I had ninety-three.”

 

“... _ how? _ ”

 

“Gemstone ore is everywhere if you know where to look, I’ve always got gems in my slate. You should see how much amber I have on me. The only reason I didn’t have any diamond is because they’re a lot rarer than most and I spent the ones I had the night before last.”

 

“Spent them on what?”

 

“Keep an eye on Four, you’ll see.”

 

“...this is why we haven’t been running out of potions, isn’t it. Or arrows.”

 

“Well, yeah. Gems are pretty universally valuable, and what would I spend all those rupees on otherwise? I’d rather use them to keep you lot safe.”

 

“...”

 

“Legend?”

 

“...”

 

“...I’m getting a lot of hugs today.”

 

“We don’t deserve you, kid.”

 

“Yeah, you deserve better - OW, hey!”

 

“I’m the only one who’s allowed to be a dick to you.”

 

“...I’ll hold you to that as well.”

 

“You better.”

 

\---

 

The opportunity, when it came, wasn’t recognised as such at first.

 

A couple of weeks later they stumbled face first into Time’s world, and irritatingly, into an ambush. It was a swift, decisive battle with only slightly overpowered enemies but a moment of bad luck had led to Wild’s champion's tunic getting ripped off his body and torn mostly in half, an overzealous Moblin refusing to let go even with several swords through its torso. 

 

Wild had yanked the remains of the blue tunic from the dead enemy and had just stared at it for long seconds. That was never a good sign. That was Wild-speak for ‘I’m very upset and close to freaking out but damned if I’m going to show it.’

 

Despite careful enquires from the others and offers to help mend it, Wild crammed it into his bag and left it there. He was miserable and silent for the rest of the day, refusing to engage with anyone. Dinner was a very quiet affair, nobody really knowing what to do. It was like the earliest days of their travel together all over again, but this time Wild was flat-out refusing to be coaxed into interaction, not even by Twilight.

 

The tunic clearly meant a lot to him. Goddess only knew why, but it did.

 

For Legend, it meant a conscious decision to take the middle watch, waiting for everyone to be deep in sleep, and slipping the tunic out of Wild’s bag.

 

He sat at the fire, examining it in the flickering light. It wasn’t as bad as he thought actually, it had mostly ripped along the side seam with the exception of the initial claw marks caused by the Moblin at the shoulder. While the left side was hanging together by a few threads near the bottom, the blood and dirt from the battle had made it look worse than it was.

 

Legend reckoned he could fix it.

 

That was how Time found him when he woke, late for his shift, a few hours later. Sat next to the fire, blue fabric stretched between his fingers and thumb, adding the finishing touches to a freshly repaired seam. He had a double length of blue thread (dark, unfortunately, but he only had thread to match his own tunics tucked in his bag) strung on a needle, and the entire left side of the tunic had been closed up with tiny, strong stitches. The sleeve had been more ragged and a bit more of a challenge, but the finishing result was mostly hidden by the fold and drape of the cloth. Legend tied the thread off and slid the needle back into his sewing kit, and then was startled by Time taking the tunic out of his hands to examine it. Time sniggered at his expression, joining Legend on the fallen log he’d been sitting on. 

 

“It looks good.”

 

“Thanks. It’d look better if I had the right colour of thread.”

 

“It’s not like you can tell, all the stitches are on the inside.”

 

“Yeah, but  _ I _ know.”

 

That earned him an amused eyebrow raise and a knowing look.

 

“Oh, don’t start.”

 

“I don’t know what you mean.” Time handed the tunic back to him. “He’s going to be pleased.”

 

“Hope so. It’s weird seeing him so quiet again.”

 

Time shrugged. “It’s one of the few things he has from before the Calamity, losing it was going to hit him hard.”

 

“Shit, I didn’t know that.” Legend was looking at the blue cloth with trepidation. “His reaction makes a lot more sense now. Glad I took my time with it.”

 

“I know he’ll appreciate it, don’t worry. You did sit up all night mending it without waking anyone up for watch.” Oh, now it was a judgemental eyebrow raise.

 

“I can multitask!”

 

“You didn’t notice me until I took this out of your hands.”

 

“You move like a bloody Sheikah old man, you can’t blame me for that.” Legend matched Time’s eyeroll with one of his own and stood up, gathering the cloth into his arms. “I’m going to try and get some of the dirt out of this, take over watch if it bothers you so much.”

 

Time waved him away, watching as he dug a bar of soap out of Warrior’s bag before heading into the forest, probably towards the stream they’d passed yesterday.

 

Half an hour later, Time was watching Wild frantically dig through his things looking for the tunic and hoping that Legend would hurry the fuck up before the cub had an aneurysm.

 

Legend must have sensed it somehow, because he came wandering back through the forest at that very moment, the damp and mostly clean tunic draped over one arm.

 

“...took forever, Moblin blood is an absolute bastard to get out…” Legend strode into the camp partly through a sentence and was halfway to the fire before he realised the others were all awake. Wild was still on the floor in a pile of scattered weaponry and clothing, staring at the fabric in Legend’s hands. Twilight was standing next to him with a carefully blank expression, waiting.

 

“Oh for...look, don’t panic, idiot. It’s here.” Legend held the tunic up by the shoulders, showing him the mended side. “All sorted. Sorry it got ripped.”

 

Time had never seen anybody go from crouched to tackle-hugging someone that quickly. He wondered if he ever would again.

 

Legend and Wild were sprawled on the floor, Legend yelling at Wild to  _ ‘get off me, you heavy lump!’, _ Wild alternating between desperately thanking him and trying to look at the stitches where the tunic was crushed between their bodies. Twilight was smiling in approval. The atmosphere in the camp was returning to normal. Time breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Which is, of course, when Four piped up with his hands full of unfamiliar fabric and feathers:

 

“Wild, since when do I have Snowquill trousers and a headdress?!?”

 

His only answer was laughter from the two boys on the ground.

 

Time sighed.

 

Never a dull moment.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the lovely comments. Whether here or on Discord, I’ve seen them all and am eternally grateful.
> 
> I even got fanart for last chapter! FANART. I don’t know how to link it since it was on the Discord but IT EXISTS AND IT MADE MY ENTIRE EVERYTHING.
> 
> T H A N K
> 
> And now, as these went down surprisingly well last time, this chapter's 'red notes'!
> 
> (Context: I wrote the middle first and had no idea how to start this chapter for ages) Some shit happens at the beginning but basically the fire rod gets broken and Legend is severely pissy at Wild even though if Wild hadn’t broken it Legend would have died and as it is he got burns on his hands and arms. Enemy fucked it up? DL tampered with it and it backfires? LOL WHO KNOWS? NOT THE BOYS. NOT ME EITHER
> 
> ON TONIGHT'S EPISODE:
> 
> How very dignified.
> 
> He a rich boi, Legend, you don’t even know 
> 
> So magically powerful, no clothing is safe from her upgrading abilities except for around a third of them.
> 
> LOL JK ACTUALLY THEY ARE HUGELY POWERFUL
> 
> I have thought FAR too hard about this, can you tell?
> 
> But all that changed when the Calamity Ganon attacked
> 
> This is a hella serious part but... *Jurassic Park theme on kazoo*
> 
> When you think about it, the shit Wild can do with his upgraded clothes is fucking amazing
> 
> I miswrote elusive plants as elusive pants, no that’s you Legend
> 
> I was pretty proud of this explanation actually, considering there is no reason a fairy would actually need rupees. WTF would they buy?
> 
> “Legend, since when are you good with kids?” “Oh, it’s easy! Just channel your inner Warrior and be an over-dramatic knobhead, kids love that.” “YOU WHAT.”
> 
> Yep, the slate has video now. Dem ancient Sheikah thought of everything.
> 
> Legend, unbeknownst to anyone else, is damn good at repairs and has a travel sewing kit in his bag. It just wasn’t mentioned because it wasn’t relevant to Harry’s story. I can’t wait for this meme to be irrelevant and confusing!
> 
> And yeah, Wild upgraded the whole thing so Four will never freeze. Worth noting that while the trousers and headdress are in his size, the tunic is still Wild’s old one and is fucking massive. Four prefers it that way actually, it’s comfy


	5. Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finding common ground is essential.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> My birthday gift to myself this year was to finally get this chapter out. Well, that and seeing Detective Pikachu (if you're on the fence, GO AND SEE IT, it's truly excellent.)
> 
> I had a good, solid case of writers block for the two weeks after posting Chapter Four, hence why this has taken so long to come out, but I'm happy with it nonetheless. That's also the reason that the comments on the previous chapter have gone unanswered for so long, but by the time you read this I should have managed to go back and thank everyone properly. My apologies for the delay.
> 
> Please enjoy!

\---

 

In hindsight, the trap should have been fairly obvious.

 

They’d even been warned by the local villagers that the nearby plain was abandoned for a reason. ‘Those that go there don’t come back’ was a phrase often repeated, spoken in serious and shaky tones by everyone there, smallest child to haggard crone.

 

However, in the course of all their adventures each Link had learned the same lesson.

 

If you were warned against it, it was probably worth investigating.

 

Which is how they found themselves wandering around a wide open area a few miles south of the farming community. The land itself was a natural dead end bare of all but grass and dry, dusty soil, the light of the early morning sun casting sparse shadows. The plain had worn into the side of the nearby mountain, the walls of which formed high, near-impenetrable barriers to the outside world save from the direction they had come. Looking up, all there was to see was a wide horseshoe shaped patch of blue sky, a few plants and the odd scraggly tree clinging to the rough cliffside.

 

Set in the furthest wall, the one that stretched the highest, was a small stone pillar. The passing of the years had left the base of it buried in the dirt, and the inscription on it was blurred by age and patches of errant moss.

 

Sky had a tendency to go straight for the most obvious markers, purely because no-one else ever seemed to want to. He traipsed across the slightly bumpy ground, passing the others who were investigating the area closer to the entrance, not in a rush but not exactly dawdling either. By the time he reached the mountainside, Wild was the only one who had started to follow him. His boots kicked up clouds of the fine dirt as he drew closer, Sky smiling at him in acknowledgement before turning to the marker and starting to scrape the accumulated moss and lichen away.

 

Wild was still quite a few feet from him when Sky uncovered the inscription. It was worn, faded by years of rainwater and plant growth, but just about legible.

  
  


**WATCH OUT!**

  
  


Sky didn’t have enough time to be anything more than baffled at the vaguely alarming message before the world around him started to shake.

 

Wild was lunging across the space between them, yelling something, but it was lost in the hideous cacophony of grinding and crashing noises as what must have been half the mountain started to fall around him. Sky could only watch helplessly, pressed into the mountainside, as Wild was forced to dive away from the boulders striking the ground around him. Each dodge took them further apart, and Sky’s view of his friend - and indeed, of everything else - was cut off by one truly huge chunk of rock that sent shock-waves through the earth when it struck the ground in front of him. Wild’s eyes, wide and blue, disappeared behind granite, and Sky’s scream was cut off as the impact of the last, closest boulder threw him to the floor.

 

His lungs were straining, choking on what felt like half the mountain, his eyes clenched shut and stinging from the dust in the air. Somewhere, someone was screaming, a piercing sound of terror.

 

The ground shook once more.

 

A crack.

 

Sky thudded into the dirt again, the ground under him abruptly sinking several inches.

 

His eyes snapped open.

 

_ Goddess, no. _

 

That was his last thought before the earth under his body abruptly gave way, dropping him into darkness.

 

—-

 

The others raced in as soon as the rocks stopped falling, struggling to see in the dusty air. All they found was a wide pit, horrifyingly deep and dark, rapidly being filled in by chunks of rock that continued to roll down from the mountain and a landslide of earth from the plateau around them. With a final, awful boom an impossibly large slab of slate skidded into place just as they reached the pit edge, capping the hole off and preventing them from following their companion into it.

 

The only comfort they had was that Warrior had spotted something just before the chasm was hidden from them.

 

Brick walls.

 

Carefully lain, deliberate brick walls, overlapping and running parallel to each other.

 

They’d uncovered a labyrinth.

 

It wasn’t an immediate death sentence, but that still wasn’t much solace when one of their own had been cast into its depths and another was missing completely. Wild had been trying to reach Sky when the landslide had begun but they hadn’t seen him fall, and he hadn’t appeared when everything had settled.

 

After a quick, frantic search in wolf form which turned up exactly nothing, Twilight took Four and streaked as fast as he could back to the farming village for help. There must be some knowledge of where the entrance or exit to such a place might be, and more bodies would help the search.

 

But when he reached the site of the village half an hour later there was nothing there but old, stained stone walls and the whisper of cruel mirth on the wind.

 

—-

 

Sky came to in one sudden burst, and couldn’t see.

 

It look a moment of sheer, blinding panic for him to realise this was due to darkness, not injury. Although it wouldn’t have shocked him either way with the amount of bruising he could feel starting to form along his ribs.

 

Sky pushed himself up as best he could, clods of earth and sheets of dust cascading off his back as he struggled to right himself. As he lifted his head, dirt caking his eyelashes, he winced at the pain in his neck. Exploratory fingers found grazes and nicks, pain flaring harshly where his touch ghosted over them. His hair had stuck to half-dried blood, gummy and disgusting, pulling at his skin and amplifying the pain of the small injuries tenfold.

 

The weight of soil and stone on his body made progress slow, but eventually Sky managed to struggle out of the heap of debris he had awoken in. He flopped down, propped up only on stinging palms, and tried to blink away the dust that clouded his vision.

 

Once the painful scratching of grit against his eyes had faded somewhat, Sky staggered to his feet. With the initial task of getting himself free complete, he turned his attention to his immediate surroundings. Careful hands probed the world around him. 

 

Rough walls, brick and mortar, an arm span apart. A ceiling, packed dirt and stone, low enough for him to reach without even having to stretch. Gravel under his feet, crunching and grinding as he moved.

 

Nothing in front, nothing behind. A tunnel.

 

A small, impossibly dark, cramped tunnel.

 

His breath begun to come faster and faster, heartbeat racing. Nausea crawled it’s way up his throat. He staggered into one wall, leaning into it while he tried to calm his racing heart and mind. 

 

Oh, how Sky hoped it was a tunnel and not a tomb.

 

_ Stop that. _ Sky mentally scolded himself, fingernails digging into his palms. The bright flare of pain helped distract him somewhat, shocking him off of the mental path he had been travelling.  _ That’s not going to help. _

 

Right. The facts: He was underground, in what appeared to be a tunnel. It was pitch black, and the only sounds he could hear were the scraping of his clothing against the wall and, distantly, soil and stone continuing to rain down after the impromptu landslide that had thrown him here. Dirt was falling on him even now, muffled cracks and booms echoing from above as more rocks presumably settled into place. He was mostly uninjured. He couldn’t feel the weight of the Master Sword on his back, or his sailcloth around his throat, and a quick check confirmed he’d also lost his bag. He was alone.

 

It had been a long time since he’d been alone like this.

 

_ Focus, birdbrain. _ He was in a tunnel. Tunnels had exits. He needed to start moving, find a way out and back to the others. They’d be searching for him  _ oh goddess he hoped they were _ and this wasn’t the sort of situation where he could just sit and wait for rescue. Who knew if the tunnel was even stable? He had to go.

 

A brief fumbling search in the rubble pile he’d recently vacated turned up the sailcloth. It was mercifully whole, gratitude swelling his throat as his hands carefully ran over the fabric. No rips, no holes, just some creasing where he’d tied it around his shoulders earlier that day. It must have just pulled free when he was falling. 

 

It was probably absolutely filthy, not that Sky himself could criticise with the amount of soil he could feel dropping from his hair every time he bent over, but that could be easily dealt with once he was out of here.

 

Which would be soon.

 

Yes.

 

Sky just had to keep telling himself that.

 

He spent a few more minutes searching as best he could, every small injury on his hands lighting up whenever he ghosted his touch over a particularly sharp rock, but had to concede defeat. His bag wasn’t here, or had fallen further away than he could reasonably search. The Master Sword  _ definitely _ wasn’t here. There was no way Fi would allow herself the indignity of being buried under rubble without giving him some way to find her.

 

_ No more stalling. Pick a direction and get moving. _

 

And so, trying to focus on getting out of here without thinking about the  _ here, _ Sky set off into the darkness.

 

\---

 

They’d found the Master Sword trapped not too far away, scabbard and sword belt caught under yet another fallen rock.

 

She had been glowing and chiming desperately, vibrating so hard she’d shaken herself half out of the scabbard. Once they’d pulled her free she calmed slightly but was still pulsing with light. Fretful.

 

It was very odd to see a sword look worried.

 

Perhaps they could only tell because they were equally as worried.

 

Or perhaps it was easier to recognise considering everyone there had wielded her, they’d all heard her in one way or another and all had some skill in reading her moods. Magical items gave off an aura just as living beings did, and hers was undeniably strong. It exuded panic right now, writhing and twisting as if to break free. If she were in a bipedal form, she’d be pacing.

 

With the Master Sword safely buckled at Warrior’s side, the remaining heroes continued their search. The slab covered the hole, true, but there had to be some area where the cover was thinner, where it would be possible to break through and begin a rescue mission. Until Twilight and Four came back, hopefully with a location to the entrance, it was all they could do.

 

Just as Twilight returned, racing across the plain with a grim Four clinging to his back, there was a shout from the left of the area. They all spun round to see Legend, unusually pale and wide-eyed, standing from behind a large boulder. He held something up.

 

The amount of curses Wind knew were outmatched only by Warrior.

 

—-

 

He’d been walking for hours.

 

There was no way he could actually tell, of course. No light penetrated the darkness, no glimmer of sunbeam or starlight to even give him a hint of how long he’d spent down here.

 

But it felt like hours.

 

Sky had done his absolute best to distract himself, focusing on anything and everything to avoid thinking about his situation. 

 

The sound of Zelda’s laugh, her sparkling eyes. The feeling of wind in his hair as he flew around Skyloft, his Loftwing a strong and steady presence between him and the world below. The golden horizon, the endless blue skies darkening to pink and violet as the sun set. Fi’s voice, well remembered even though she hadn’t been talkative lately. The teasing he would surely endure from the others when he got out of here, boisterous and loud to mask their worry. 

 

The pain in his hands and knees, gashed and scraped as they were from tripping in the darkness and catching himself on sharp rocks and rough walls. Every ache, every bruise, every cut from his descent down here. How it had felt to smack face first into wall after wall as he tried desperately to navigate his way out. How his skin and hair still pulled where blood glued them together around his neck.

 

But it hadn’t been enough.

 

The walls had pressed in, were pressing in even now. The darkness was thick, suffocating, seeping into his very bones and suffusing his entire body with pure, unfiltered  _ dread. _ It was so, so quiet. 

 

His blood was racing, pounding in his ears and shrieking in his veins as he tried in vain to calm himself. The panic had ripped his way into him, bit by bit, setting his heart to jackhammer in his chest and his lungs to shrivel where they sat, denying him breath.

 

It was impossible to ignore. A sudden wave of vague but encompassing despair halted his slow progress, his dragging, exhausted feet stumbling and sending him sideways into a wall.

 

It was small, and dark, and he was going to die trapped here under the earth.

 

He was alone, truly alone.

 

He was never going to see the sky again.

 

He would have stood there, perhaps forever, staring with dull eyes into the infinite distance if there hadn’t been a noise far behind him, in a part of the tunnel he had already vacated.

 

A scrape. Stone against stone.

 

A pause.

 

Another scrape. Closer. And another.

 

There was something else wandering these paths.

 

Sky was frozen where he stood. Fingers, suddenly clammy, dug into the brickwork. Mortar crumbled under his grip. He stared into the gloom, desperately trying to pick up even the smallest hint of movement. There was nothing to see, the murkiness of the world around him was absolute. He gulped. 

 

If he was quiet, and still, maybe whatever else was down here would pass him by.

 

He could hear the footsteps, for that’s what they were, slowly advancing on his position. Stones skittered as they were kicked by an unseen being, clacking against each other. 

 

As the presence rounded the corner that separated them, Sky could hear it breathing. Deep, harsh breaths.

 

There was a junction there, on that corner. Sky had picked the left hand passage at random, long having since given up attempting to navigate with dire thoughts sprouting in his mind like weeds. He could only hope, now, that the other being chose to go right.

 

There was a long, terrible delay. Sky could hear the gravel shifting under feet of the whatever-it-was as it found the split in the paths, its breathing becoming less harsh as it considered the options before it.

 

His own breathing was carefully measured and quiet, although every one was a crash of thunder to his ears.

 

Slowly, as if debating with itself, the footsteps began again. Treading on to the left hand path.

 

Sky’s tunnel.

 

He desperately tried to force himself away but the terror was consuming him again, rooting him in place. As much as he had been expecting to die down here, that didn’t mean he wanted to go out via unseen tunnel monster  _ but he couldn’t goddess-damned move.  _

 

The presence edged forward. Caught itself on a chunk of something - rubble probably, there was plenty of it - and stumbled audibly.

 

There was a fierce, frustrated growl. Terrifyingly loud. Very close.

 

Too close.

 

Sky bolted.

 

There was a yell behind him, echoing and startled, but Sky was far too busy fleeing to pay any attention. His feet had finally decided to co-operate and he was not going to give this thing an easy meal. If it wanted to catch him, it’d have to work for it.

 

He ran faster than he would have thought possible considering how long he’d been walking, the aching in his legs numbed by fear and blind determination. He threw himself around corners and bounced painfully off of walls, keeping as much distance as he could between himself and the pounding footsteps following him. The other being’s breathing was a distant counterpoint, fast and harsh like his own.

 

Sky hadn’t dared be optimistic, hadn’t dared think much of anything in an attempt to focus single-mindedly on  _ escape, _ but he hadn’t been prepared to have any faint hope of outrunning this thing abruptly fractured. Firstly by his famously rubbish stamina, which decided to merrily run out at the end of a corridor; secondly, by a wall that appeared out of nowhere and made the corridor a dead-end; and thirdly by his nose, which actually did fracture on impact.

 

Sky hit the wall with less force than he would have done had his stamina not up and left before he reached it, but it was still a hell of a collision. Pain exploded though his face, ripping a yelp from his throat as he bounced back from the wall. The architecture hadn’t finished with him yet, his foot landing on a dislodged chunk of brick and causing his ankle to roll painfully, sending him to the floor. The impact jostled his existing injuries and he let out a sharp cry, hands shooting to clutch his face.

 

Blood pouring from his nose, Sky desperately struggled to get back to his feet. He managed it, ankle strained and shaking, but there was nowhere for him to go. The wall was sturdy and unyielding, and he abruptly realised that dead-ends were named that for a reason.

 

The footsteps had slowed when he hit the floor, as if to taunt him, but sped up again now. Whatever it was, it was coming for him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It knew he was injured. He had no weapon, couldn’t stand properly, couldn’t breathe properly, couldn’t even see.

 

This was it.

 

Sky slid down the wall, the sailcloth catching on the brickwork as he sunk to the floor. The despair was back, flooding into his mind where the need to escape had held it briefly at bay, pulling hopelessness and nausea in with it and making itself at home for the few moments he had left. His breath came in ragged gasps, catching on pained and anxious half-sobs.

 

Everything hurt, and the footsteps had stopped in front of him.

 

Sky stared upwards, unwilling to look his killer in the face.

 

His last thoughts would be of the open skies.

 

But he would have many years yet before the need for last thoughts.

 

Because whatever had been chasing him had dropped to the ground, was now in front of him and at the same level. Rough and calloused but undeniably  _ human _ hands landed on his face, accidentally brushing his injured nose. The cry that jumped from him was half pain and half shock, and the hands retreated as if burned, before they were back and tentatively settling on his cheeks. Sky was completely rigid, staring into the darkness with the oddest sensation of having locked gazes with someone he couldn’t see.

 

A quiet voice, hesitant and hopeful.

 

“...Sky?” 

 

An answer, muffled with blood and tinged with desperation.

 

“...Wild?” 

 

A laugh, wobbly and relieved and achingly familiar. 

 

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you...”

 

Wild’s sentence was cut off as Sky threw himself forward and straight into his arms with enough force to send them both sprawling. 

 

He didn’t feel them hit the floor, didn’t register Wild’s grunt of surprise or the sudden tenseness under his hands because  _ he wasn’t alone down here. _ He wasn’t alone, and distantly there was a niggling feeling of horror that Wild had been wandering down here in the dark for goddess knows how long as well, but it was firmly overridden by  _ not alone _ and  _ not going to die _ .

 

He clung to Wild, fingers twisted in his tunic and forehead buried in his shoulder, and to his surprise felt Wild’s arms come up around him to clutch him straight back. Wild buried his face in Sky’s neck, shaky breaths ghosting over his injuries, and Sky had to blink away tears of mingled pain and relief.

 

The situation didn’t seem so hopeless now.

 

—-

 

They’d picked themselves up off the floor after a while, gravel not making for a comfy resting place and the both of them fully aware that they should keep moving.

 

Wild had sustained a nasty gash and sprained wrist to his sword-arm and a wound on the back of his head, all of which he had awoken with. After some prodding from Sky, he reluctantly admitted that he’d been feeling incredibly dizzy which hadn’t helped with navigating along the corridors. Without light it was impossible to examine how bad his injuries were, and Wild had a tendency to downplay any wound he received. With both their bags and Wild’s slate lost in the fall there wasn’t anything Sky could do to help, but he resolved to have Hyrule and Twilight look him over the minute they got out of here.

 

It was amazing how much of a distraction focusing on someone else could be.

 

It was a good half an hour before the anxiety started to creep back in, stalking him in the darkness and trailing at his feet like an obedient hound. He and Wild were back on the move, hands clasped to keep them from being separated. Wild felt Sky flinch, the tunnels not big enough to allow them to walk side by side and so keeping half a pace behind him.

 

Wild squeezed his hand in question and concern, fingers slipping between Sky’s own.

 

“I’m good, I’m fine. Let’s -ugh- just keep going…”

 

Hardly convincing. Wild pulled Sky to a halt, turning him around in the narrow area to look him in the face. Well, Sky assumed that’s what he was doing. He could definitely picture the mingled concern and determination that was surely being directed his way. Wild was expressive when he wanted to be.

 

“You’re going to make me explain, aren’t you.”

 

A rustle, faint movement where their hands were clasped.

 

“I’m going to assume that was a nod.”

 

“...”

 

“Seeing as I can’t see you and all.”

 

A curse. “Yes, that was a nod.”

 

“Is now really the time?”

 

“Something’s bugging you now, so tell me now.”

 

“Sweet Hylia.” Sky just stopped short of rubbing his face, injured nose throbbing in warning. “It’s going to sound ridiculous.”

 

Another rustle, shifting fabric.

 

“Try me.”

 

“I just..” Nothing else would come. Sky couldn’t think of way to explain this without sounding like a complete baby. He fidgeted, twisting his free hand in his sailcloth, and after a few seconds the words burst out of him unbidden.

 

“I hate this.” He gestured violently with the hand tangled with Wild’s, stopping just short of smacking it into a wall. “It’s too small, and too dark, and the ceiling could come down any minute…” Sky stopped briefly to catch his breath in harsh pants. Wild didn’t interrupt, squeezing his fingers gently to encourage him on.

 

“I’m trapped and I don’t know how to get out. We’re trapped... and I feel awful because I’m so glad it’s not just me but I don’t want you to be down here too. But goddess, I can’t stop thinking about what'll happen if we can’t find a way out, and I’m so,  _ so _ glad I’m not by myself...” 

 

He broke off to laugh, bitter and slightly hysterical. “Oh, just look at me! Hylia’s chosen hero, losing his mind over a tunnel and a bit of darkness! I can face Demise, father of all monsters, with no issue whatsoever but stick me on my own underground? Instant coward!”

 

That final outburst took the wind out of his sails completely and he sunk, suddenly exhausted, against the wall. It did at least take some of the weight off his ankle.

 

“Ugh, I’m sorry.” Sky gave in to the urge to rub his eyes. “You didn’t need to hear all that. I’ve been trying to ignore it but it just keeps sneaking up on me.”

 

“Don’t apologise.” Wild came to lean against the wall with him, keeping their hands clasped. “I get it.”

 

Sky could hear him huff a little, as if trying to decide what to say next. There was a sigh, heavy with frustration.

 

“...I don’t...I hate this too. Not being able to move, or see…”

 

Hero of the Wild. Right there in his title. Sky remembered being awed by the sheer amount of land in Wild’s time; massive fields and forests, huge mountains and vast plains of snow and sand. It would make sense this wouldn’t be a walk in the park for him either, so used to freedom.

 

He probably wasn’t the only one who missed the sky.

 

“I’ve gone soft!” Wild mirrored Sky’s earlier laugh. “I wouldn’t have been so bothered before, I could go weeks without seeing another person, but a few months with you guys and suddenly I can’t stand being alone either.”

 

Sky nudged him. “I’m not sure that counts as going soft. You’re allowed to want to be around people.”

 

Wild nudged him back, kicking lightly at his uninjured leg. 

 

“If I’m allowed, you’re allowed. We can be soft together.”

 

That startled a laugh out of Sky. Wild’s forehead bumped his own, and the pressure of the situation seemed to lessen. Just slightly, but it did.

 

“Deal.”

 

There was another sigh, less burdened than before. “We should probably get going.” Wild pushed himself away from the wall, taking up position just behind Sky again.

 

“Yeah, the others are going to throw a fit as it is, I can’t imagine how ticked off they’ll be if we take our time getting out of here”

 

“Ugh, Twi is going to be unbearable.”

 

“You think you have it bad? Fi is going to give me such a hard time over this. Considering how limited her experience with emotions is, she is very good at angry lectures.”

 

“Is that the same kind of angry lecture where you can tell they’re relieved, like they were worried but also really angry you made them that worried?”

 

“Yeah, like you get from Wolfie and the Old Man.”

 

“I’m not the only one!”

 

“You get the most lectures though.”

 

“That’s just because…”

 

And with that familiar argument serving as distraction the two of them headed off into the tunnels, hearts lighter for the knowledge that they were understood.

 

—-

 

After Legend’s discovery, the search had turned into a double rescue mission.

 

The slate had a substantial crack along one corner of the screen and was smeared with blood. Not a huge amount but enough to make them all worry. Wild’s bag had been under the boulder once they managed to move it, straps torn, along with his bow and quiver. The bow was completely shattered, broken on either side of the handgrip. 

 

Sky’s bag had been thrown towards the mountainside and was mostly covered in soil, they’d only found it when Wind has spotted the buckle catching the light.

 

As much as they all tried to deny it, the situation was getting more grim. Both Wild and Sky were hardy warriors, more than capable of defending themselves from just about anything the labyrinth could throw at them, but without supplies and weaponry it would be a great deal harder. Add into that the knowledge that Wild was injured and the likelihood that Sky was too, and it was clear they needed to find a way to get to them as soon as possible.

 

As the hours passed the search for a way in continued to be fruitless. Not even Wolf-Twilight’s senses had been able to pick up either Wild’s petrichor-and-woodsmoke scent or Sky’s mix of ozone, feathers and the perfume that somehow still cling to his sailcloth. The group had spread out around the sides of the plain, examining every wall for clues before starting to round the mountain and searching for an external entrance. Once they were far enough away from the open area the Master Sword had suddenly become active, flashing sharply and startling Warrior. He pulled the sword out, sending Hyrule to get the others who were searching further away, and after a few seconds realised what she was doing.

 

Dowsing.

 

Sky had spoken about this before. Fi had the compass-like ability to locate important people or items and guide Sky to them in much the same way as Wild’s slate could locate items that he'd taken pictures of. She seemed to have lost this particular skill after Sky’s time as none of the others had experienced it, but it was possible it just hadn’t been needed before now.

 

Fi did have a soft spot for Sky as her first master, although she never would articulate as such. But as far as she was concerned, all of her previous masters were important. Dowsing was specifically meant for situations where something important couldn’t be located.

 

She had a way to help.

 

With the others quickly arriving and his field of vision oddly purple, Warrior held the sword in front of him and scanned it left to right. As soon as it hit right, pointing to the far side of the mountain, Fi let out a series of beeps. 

 

Warrior grinned.

 

“Okay, let's go find these two before it gets dark. Goddess only knows what they’ve gotten themselves into.”

 

Fi chimed in agreement. Her masters really did have the worst luck.

 

—-

 

“What did you say those ruins were called?”

 

“Thyphlo Ruins. Genuinely the only place I’ve been that was as black as this. One the one hand, there were torches everywhere I could light. On the other, fighting a Hinox in pure darkness was horrendous. Zero out of ten, do not recommend.”

 

“I miss those halcyon days when I had no idea what a Hinox was.”

 

“Me too, and I can’t even remember not knowing about them. I never did see what colour it was but it took so long to defeat.”

 

“You got one of those shrines at the end though?”

 

“Yep, and thankfully the monk inside just gave me a spirit orb rather than another challenge. I was not in the mood for a puzzle or a battle after that.”

 

“Were they really that bad?”

 

“Two words: Tilting. Puzzles.”

 

“Ohhh dear.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“That’s just cruel.”

 

“Twitchiest controls of anything I’ve ever come across. And these weren’t little things either, the mazes were at least half the size of a field and you couldn’t really see what you were doing.”

 

“How did you not lose your temper with them, I feel like I’d go insane if I had to do a bunch of those.”

 

“Thankfully the tilting ones weren’t common. But I did end up leaving one or two shrines early when I got pissed off and coming back the next day.”

 

“Full credit to you, shrines sound completely awful in general.”

 

“They weren’t all bad. Your guardian trial things sound worse, honestly.”

 

“They sucked, but there were only three of them compared to a hundred and twenty.”

 

“Not a competition, Sky.”

 

“Well, at least we can agree anything called a guardian is bad news.”

 

“Yes. Absolutely ye...hang on.”

 

“What?” Sky turned, looking in the approximate direction of his friend. Wild had stopped dead in the corridor, and from the pressure on their combined grip was looking off towards the right. They had been walking for an indeterminate amount of time, chatting about their adventures and finding common ground in order to keep each other distracted, and had just entered a four way junction of tunnels.

 

Wait.

 

He could  _ see _ that it was a junction. 

 

Only just, it was more black/slightly less black than actually being able to see, but there were two walls of the same pitch-darkness he’d become used to and one wall, the right hand one, a few shades lighter. In fact, he could just about see Wild silhouetted against that wall.

 

“Please tell me that’s what I think it is.”

 

“Oh, it better be. Come on!”

 

The two of them raced down the right hand corridor. For the first time since this whole mess started Sky could see each turn coming up, could see the path ahead literally becoming lighter and lighter. In front of him, leading the way, Wild’s long hair and bright tunic were becoming clearer. Clear enough to see the dark spots where blood had crusted at the back of his head and dripped down his neck to stain his shirt collar.

 

Sky was definitely shoving some potions down his throat when they got back.

 

The two of them stopped briefly to catch their breath at another junction, a three way one this time. The path in front was illuminated, shockingly bright compared to the left hand tunnel but still dim enough that it was clear they had further to go. Sky was grateful for the pause, his ankle shrieking at him in protest.

 

Wild turned to face him, and it was such a huge relief to see his features, even vaguely outlined as they were.

 

“You look like crap.”

 

“Oh, thanks for that.”

 

Sky could just about see Wild wince, and what was probably an apologetic look was sent his way.

 

“Sorry, that was harsh. In fairness though your face does look like it exploded a bit.”

 

“It feels like it exploded, I’ll give you that one.” Sky reached up to gently feel around his nose. It had stopped bleeding thankfully, Sky had been getting fed up of wiping blood off of his face, but the whole of the area surrounding it felt bruised and tender. Even his eyes felt sore, what was definitely two black eyes adding to his misery.

 

“I am so glad we stocked up on potions before we left that last village.”

 

“Yeah, you’re going to need them.”

 

“Wait, me? I’m not the one who needs healing here, your face is one giant bruise!”

 

“Unless your shirt suddenly developed one black sleeve you definitely need healing too.”

 

“It’s a scratch!”

 

“I’ll sic Twilight on you.” 

 

“You won’t need to, he’ll do that himself. I’ll sic everyone else on you, Hyrule will have a fit when he sees you limping.”

 

Sky went to respond, but a faint noise caught his attention. He swivelled as best he could towards the corridor straight ahead, Wild doing the same.

 

It sounded like…shouting?

 

Sky snapped back to face Wild and met his eyes. As one they took each other’s hands and sped off into the light.

 

—-

 

It had taken another couple of hours, and a lot of navigation over awkward terrain, but they’d finally found a way in.

 

Unfortunately, that way in was across a huge chasm. 

 

At some point in the mountains history, part of the land bordering it had crumbled and sunk leaving a wide gap between the entrance to the labyrinth and the attached woodland. The chasm itself was so deep that the bottom couldn’t be seen, just a vague mist. 

 

The entrance to the labyrinth was just visible over the gap, a deliberately cut doorway leading deep into the mountain. The remains of carved pillars and a platform area bordered it, chunks of it long ago knocked loose by time and errant rockfalls. It was situated lower down on the mountain, offset from the opposite side just enough that you had to be standing near the cliff edge to see it. Two stone stakes stood as markers on the woodland side, likely once the posts for a bridge leading to the doorway and implying that the chasm had been there for quite some time.

 

They now marked the scene of a very loud argument as a group of heroes tried to figure out just how they were going to get in, with the exception of Time who had long since stopped trying to get a word in edgeways and was now standing back from it all, waiting for all the emotional young people to shut up. 

 

The shouting match was interrupted by one loud, slightly echoey voice.

 

“HEY GUYS! ARE YOU THERE?”

 

All argument abruptly stopped. Seven sets of feet pounded over to the cliff edge, Wind skidding and having to be hauled back by Legend before he tumbled off into the ravine.

 

Standing on the stone platform, grinning up at them all, were their two missing comrades. And they looked absolutely dreadful.

 

Both of them were filthy, dust and dirt clinging to every inch of their bodies. Sky looked like he’d taken a hard blow to the face, purple bruises ringing his eyes and dried blood smeared liberally over his cheeks and chin. His nose was crooked and badly swollen, and he was clearly favouring one leg over another. Wild had blood matting his hair and dripping down his neck. There was a deep slice going down the flesh of his sword arm, the ripped sleeve around it soaked with blood. Knowing Wild that wasn’t the full extent of his injuries but it was impossible to tell from this distance.

 

But they were alive.

 

“Oh thank  _ fuck. _ Are you idiots okay?!?” Legend was using one of the stone markers to steady himself, leaning over the edge of the gorge as best he could without risking going over.

 

“Mostly!” Sky leaned on Wild a little, trying to take some of the pressure off his ankle. Wild wrapped an arm around him absentmindedly.

 

“Any ideas for how to get us up there?”

 

“We’re working on it.”

 

Plans were quickly discussed and discarded. The two of them were too far away to be reached with a rope or Hookshot, and it was a long way to climb with Wild’s injured arm and Sky’s sprained ankle. There was no updraft coming from the gorge that could be caught with Sky’s sailcloth, and not enough room on the platform to make a fire. 

 

Wild couldn’t help but miss having the Champions abilities at a time like this, regardless of how glad he was that the four of them were at peace. Revali’s Gale would be so useful right now. He could almost hear the prideful bird taunting him about his lack of wings.

 

The half-shouted discussion had been going on for five solid minutes before something forced their hands.

 

The mountain started to shake again.

 

There was barely any time to react. Wild and Sky were thrown off balance, falling back against the entrance. The others had to beat a hasty retreat where they stood at the cliffside or risk falling over the edge. Only Legend remained, braced against the post and keeping his eyes fixed on their stuck friends.

 

There were more rocks and boulders tumbling down the mountainside, missing the doorway by inches. A few clipped the platform, taking off small chunks which clattered down into the chasm. Wild and Sky were doing their best to stay out of the line of fire, tucked in the doorway, but it wasn’t a sustainable position. Sky could hear ceilings collapsing behind them, the tunnels they had come through being slowly buried. Cracks were appearing directly above their heads. 

 

They couldn’t go back in to the mountain. They couldn’t get up to the others. They couldn’t stay here, if the ceiling didn’t fall on them then the rocks bouncing off the platform would take them out.

 

Trapped again.

 

This was not the time to freeze up. But Sky couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t stop his brain from abruptly shifting to  _ we’re going to die, we’re trapped _ and nothing else. He didn’t even realise Wild had started to move.

 

Wild had seen Sky abruptly stiffen from the corner of his eye, had turned to see him staring blankly at where the rocks continued to fall and clutching the ruined pillar with bleeding fingers. Wild knew that feeling all too well, had frozen like that when instinct and muscle memory had failed him in the early days of his quest. It had usually taken an injury (or, later on, a cold Wolf nose) to shock him out of it long enough to get to safety, but eventually he’d managed to train himself out of it. He’d never quite got the hang of not freezing up during a blood moon however, no matter how many he’d been through.

 

He had to get Sky out of here, now.

 

The only way out was straight ahead.

 

Wild made a decision.

 

He lunged forward, pulling Sky along with him and startling him enough that he came back to himself. Diving through gaps in the rocks as they crashed off of the platform, Wild dragged Sky by the arm to the edge and without hesitation flung them both over the gap.

 

With a startled yell from Sky, clinging to him, and “DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE” from Legend reaching his ears, Wild managed to yank the sailcloth off Sky’s shoulders and open it before they fell too far. The air was disturbed just enough to push them towards the cliffside and they smacked into it after a few seconds. The impact was incredibly harsh but Wild had been through worse, and was able to find handholds sturdy enough to keep the pair of them from following the rain of stone and dirt down into the depths. The platform they had been standing on gave way under the force of an enormous boulder and crumbled, sending echoes bouncing off the walls as it fell.

 

Sky had somehow managed to keep his grip even through the bone-shaking crash. Scrabbling around, he managed to find a decent foothold and took some of his weight off of Wild. No matter how strong his friend was, clinging to a wall with another person hanging off you couldn’t be easy.

 

They thankfully weren’t down there longer than a minute or two. A great deal of mostly incoherent screeching had been going on above them, and just as Sky was starting to tire out he was nearly bashed by a pair of Hookshot heads which fell into the air next to him.

 

“GRAB ON!” Time and Warrior were braced against the stone markers with the mechanisms in hand, the others ready to steady them if needed.

 

Sky tangled an arm in the chains, securing himself as best he could. Wild wasn’t going to be able to let go of the cliff and take one, so Sky slipped his other arm around his body and held on as tightly as possible.

 

“WE’RE ON, GET US OUT OF HERE!”

 

With an almighty tug the two of them were pulled up the cliff. It was mere seconds before they shot over the edge, knocking the others flat where they had gathered to help pull them in. The sudden release in pressure sent Time and Warrior over too, and for a moment all nine heroes lay in a dazed pile.

 

A pair of fists shot up from the tangle of bodies, the right one bloody and clutching a very battered sailcloth.

 

“WE LIVED!”

 

“Somehow, SOMEHOW, we did.” Sky agreed. He sat up, looking over to see Wild flat on his back and grinning in a slightly crazed manner as he stretched his arms towards the sky. He couldn’t help but laugh, exhilarated, and sunk back down to stare at the expanse above him.

 

“Never,  _ ever _ do that again.” Twilight was nearly whispering. He had his face buried in his hands and it was clear Wild and Sky were going to be in for it once he’d recovered his composure.

 

“Don’t plan to, that was horrific.” Wild rolled over, trying to see Sky over the mass of limbs. “Sky, catch.” He flung the sailcloth in the approximate direction of its owner, managing to smack Wind in the face with it instead.

 

“Eww, this is super dirty.” Wind struggled upright and handed it over to Sky with a grimace.

 

“What do you care, you’re a pirate. Can’t imagine there are many baths at sea.” Legend shot back on Sky’s behalf, trying to untangle himself from Hyrule and the straps of Wild and Sky’s bags which he’d been carrying.

 

“Speaking of baths,” Time had somehow managed to gracefully extract himself from the pile, looming over them all. “Do either of you need immediate medical attention, or can we shove you in the river first?”

 

“River.” was the unanimous answer.

 

—-

 

After a very thorough scrubbing, Wild and Sky were patched up by Hyrule while their clothes and the sailcloth hung out to dry over nearby branches and the others set up camp. The sparse woodland next to the river was more than enough cover for what looked to be a very clear night, and no-one wanted to spend any more time near the mountain where the trees were thicker.

 

The sprained ankle and wrist were bound securely to hold them while they healed, likely no more than a couple of days. Wild’s head injury and Sky’s scrapes were taken care of very quickly with a potion, and Wild’s dizziness faded completely as a result. Sky’s broken nose needed to be set, which wasn’t fun, but was now healing nicely with the help of a fairy who had been kind enough to take care of the black eyes as well.

 

Wild’s arm had been worse than it first appeared, the gash turned out to be fairly deep and was the entire length of his forearm. It had taken a while to wash out all the dirt and gravel from it, which had helped stem the bleeding while underground, but this had revealed ragged edges and the possible early signs of an infection. Potions had taken care of that last issue but Hyrule had still needed to stitch the wound shut and it was likely to leave a scar. Wild hadn’t been overly bothered by this considering the amount he already had. As he said, at least he could remember getting this one.

 

The two lost boys had been not actually been put through much in the way of lectures. They certainly hadn’t intended to get thrown into a labyrinth for the entire day, and the only reckless action they’d taken was Wild jumping off the platform which ultimately saved their lives. They had been subjected to a great deal of hugs and general concern by the rest of the group, and Fi had made her own worry quite clearly understood if the look on Sky’s face had been anything to go by when Warrior handed the Master Sword over.

 

Night had fallen before Wild got antsy at the close quarters, needing to spread out, and looking over it was clear Sky was feeling it as well. The other boy was shifting restlessly where he sat, only half listening to some tale Wind was spinning and gaze fixed out beyond the trees.

 

He dragged Sky away from the others into the field, just far away enough that the campfire and the woodland trees didn’t disturb their view of the sky, and flopped down into the grass. Sky was pulled down next to him, and Wild wriggled around until he could prop his head up on Sky’s belly. They looked upwards in silence for a while. Stars gleamed overhead, clear and bright without the clouds or moon to dim them. It was beautifully peaceful.

 

“Better?”

 

“So much better. Thank you.” Sky took a deep breath, jostling Wild’s head with the movement. “Look, I’m sorry about freezing up back there.”

 

“Don’t be. Like I said before, I get it.” Wild reached out in the vague direction of Sky’s leg and patted his shin gently. He didn’t feel the need to explain further, and so the two of them passed another few minutes enjoying the openness around them interspersed with the faint sounds of camp not far away.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you know what all of those are called?” Wild pointed upwards.

 

“What, the constellations?”

 

“Mmm. I have a feeling I used to know, but shockingly I can’t remember any now.”

 

“I know most of them. That one…”

 

Their stargazing turned into an impromptu astronomy lesson, Sky pointing out and naming various constellations and explaining the story behind them, moving Wild’s hand to trace the shapes in the air above them. After a while Wind and Hyrule were sent out to check on them and couldn’t help but join in, Wind tucking himself under Wild’s free arm and providing alternate (often rude) names and backstories; Hyrule stretched out on Sky’s other side and filling in any gaps with his seemingly endless amount of random knowledge picked up on the road.

 

By the time Twilight got curious and came out to see what was going on, only Hyrule was still awake. Wind was plastered against Wild’s side and holding one of his arms hostage in his sleep. Wild was still using Sky as a pillow, and the their hands lay tangled together in the grass where they had been pointing out stars when exhaustion hit them. Hyrule was propped up on his arms, keeping watch and enjoying the peace and quiet after such a frantic day.

 

For tonight, at least, all was well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for all the lovely comments last chapter. I will be quicker at answering this time guys, i swear! 
> 
> As is tradition, please find for your enjoyment my 'red note' commentary. It's becoming clear that i'm thinking of you guys when writing these now:
> 
>  
> 
> A mysterious area no one enters? Ah yes, because this has never gone wrong for any of you in the past.
> 
> WHY ARE THERE SO FEW WORDS FOR 'ROCK'? I NEED MORE WORDS
> 
> And when I say dark, I mean dark. Like, blackout curtains in an underground bunker during an eclipse levels of dark
> 
> SECRET TUNNEL, SECRET TUNNEL, THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS lolllll i'm so mean
> 
> How do you write a phobia you don't really have? I hope this reads okay
> 
> Fun fact: Cleithrophobia is the Fear of Being Trapped and sounded more applicable than just straight up claustrophobia
> 
> oooh what did he find? no seriously, I haven't made a decision yet
> 
> They finally fucking meet up, can you believe this was the bit I was stuck on?
> 
> Of course Wild would have the trapped phobia, have you played his game?
> 
> Yay, Fi abilities!
> 
> The Hinox in the ruins scared the shit out of me when I played that area the first time
> 
> I'm going by the comics in that Wild doesn't have the champion abilities, this will properly come into effect somewhere down the line
> 
> ROCKS FALL, EVERYONE DIES or is at least severely inconvenienced
> 
> Hyrule is default medical person because I saw the headcannon on the discord somewhere and yes absolutely yes
> 
> And behold the scene that finally broke the writers block! I knew if I could just get through the rest of the chapter I could write adorable stargazing bros.


	6. Warrior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's astonishing what a mind and body can survive when suitably determined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four months later, she emerges!
> 
> Yeah, it's been a hell of a time for me as of late, but this chapter is finally done. I hope it meets your expectations.
> 
> Please be aware, this chapter does contain descriptions of torture. Heed the tags and look after yourselves.

Of all the enemies the group had faced over their time together, the Yiga Clan were some of the most unsettling.

 

Not because they were especially strong, although they could be. The few Blademasters they had faced had been awful, stoic in the face of even their strongest attacks and showing no signs of weakness until one blow or another tipped the balance enough to send the red-suited menaces stumbling, then disappearing in a cloud of sulphurous smoke and a jingle of rupees.

 

Not because they always seemed to know where they were, tracking them to the unlikeliest of places such as within particularly remote ruins or halfway up a mountain range and appearing with a mocking cackle and annoyingly good aim. 

 

Not even because they were fairly well disguised when they wanted to be, as more than once a seemingly innocent trading opportunity or request for directions had turned into an attack, despite how wary the group were now of random strangers calling out from the side of the road.

 

It was because they were people.

 

Terrifyingly, monstrously normal.

 

There was nothing supernatural about the Yiga, not even their powers. Dark, yes, and not so much tainted with malice as saturated with it, but at its core it was still fairly standard magic. Ink based spells and incantations were nothing out of the ordinary for any race of magically-capable beings. The Yiga themselves were just people, Sheikah, whose ancestors had long ago sworn allegiance to Ganon and who strove to serve him even to this day. The sealing of Ganon in their time had done very little to dissuade them, and had in fact only spurred them on with greater ferocity to complete one of their most crucial tasks.

 

The destruction of the hero.

  
To kill Wild.

 

And what was depressing was that Wild was used to it. He barely even reacted when a puff of smoke and a flash of red-white appeared off to the side, just knocked the clan member off balance with an arrow and smacked them around a bit until the unfortunate footsoldier retreated. He’d then be the proud owner of a handful of rupees, a bunch of bananas and a brand new weapon to destroy.

 

It had been a very unsettling sight the first time they had been attacked by a Yiga out in the open, not long after Wild joined the group. Disguised as a merchant, the assassin had gone to stab Warrior and had been blocked from doing so by Wild. The others had run over at the commotion and they had all watched, open-mouthed, as Wild used a comically large club to beat the stuffing out of the clearly well trained assailant. The initial anger on his face had faded to dull resignation and it never wavered, not even when he caught an arrow to the shoulder. It took less than a minute for the clan member to make a run for it. Wild had scooped up what was left behind, yanked the arrow out of his shoulder, and they’d had fried bananas for dessert that evening.

 

Wild had been so painfully nonchalant about it all, too. It had taken a solid five minutes of persuasion for him to let anyone look at the wound, as he was so unused to having anyone around to care about such things, and he’d seemed surprised at everyone else’s combined horror when he’d explained the reason behind the attack in a ludicrously casual manner while Hyrule stitched up his shoulder. Even Twilight hadn’t known the full story despite spending so much time on Wild’s quest with him. 

 

It was an insane concept, even though they’d all faced Hylian or hylianesque enemies before. The Garo, reanimated or brainwashed knights, witches and thieves and wizards galore, and even the odd misguided or downright evil Hylian. But a whole clan of people who had made it their life’s mission to kill the hero? It was too appalling to contemplate. Hyrule’s experience was probably the closest, as Ganon’s army had believed that his blood would be the catalyst to awakening their fallen general, but even that wasn’t quite the same. Those were monsters, monstrous behaviour was expected.

 

Wild had taken in their thunderstruck expressions with a kind of bemusement, before jumping to completely the wrong conclusion and hurriedly informing them all that even though they were all incarnations of the hero, the Yiga were only after him and he’d make sure it stayed that way.

 

It had taken far, far too long to explain to Wild why they were actually so shocked. That they were angry  _ for _ him, not because of him. Warrior wasn’t sure Wild actually believed them until the next time a Yiga attacked and an enraged Legend screamed lurid and creative insults at the unfortunate bastard for several minutes while he fought them off.

 

There wasn’t another attack for a while after that.

 

A decision had been made between the group, silently, that the Yiga wouldn’t get their hands on Wild while the others were traveling with him.

 

Of course, with nine of them together this had proven fairly easy. Wild himself was so used to the tactics employed by the dark clan that it was very hard to get the drop on him, and with eight other heroes watching his back the Yiga hadn’t been able to even get close to actually hurting him. A few scratches, the odd arrow wound, but nothing serious.

 

That is, until they finally tried attacking in larger numbers.

 

This time, they were all caught slightly off guard. The assassin clan had never sent in more than one fighter at a time before. Occasionally one after another, but not together. The tactician in Warrior scoffed at the concept, one person going up against nine permanently on-edge fighters was ridiculous. They knew Wild had allies, what sort of idiot sent individuals to fight an entire force?

 

(He did his best to ignore the fact that he himself was capable of decimating vast swathes of enemy battalions alone.  _ In theory _ he had an entire army backing him up.)

 

Apparently they’d finally cobbled together some sense.

 

There were four Blademasters surrounding them, squaring off against Time, Warrior, Legend and Hyrule. A few footsoldiers were keeping the others busy, Demon Carvers flashing in the sun, while two archers teleported in and out around the group to take potshots where possible. Wild was focusing on these, managing to knock them both out of the air within two minutes.

 

Warrior managed to take his opponent down with a blast from the Fire Rod he’d borrowed from Legend and leapt away, surveying the battlescene while the larger masked being struggled to put out the flames licking up their suit. Surprisingly, no-one seemed to be hurt or even slightly overwhelmed. Everyone was holding their own, swords clashing with sickles and arrows easily dodged. Warrior even watched one footsoldier flat out ignore an opening on Sky’s side where it would have been easy to inflict some serious damage, choosing instead to continue to block and return his attacks.

 

It was almost...amateur.

 

Not like the Yiga Clan attacks of the past, which were ill-advised but at least executed with some skill.

 

It was as if they were toying with them.

 

Almost like (he thought as several formally ‘defeated’ footsoldiers popped out of existence and appeared directly between Wild and Wind), a distraction.

 

Warrior was already moving, a swing from the now singed Blademaster thudding into the empty ground as he sped towards the two blue-clad teenagers.

 

One Yiga had managed to grab Wind’s collar and was attempting to haul him off the ground using their greater height. It wasn't working very well. Wind has been surrounded by annoyingly tall opponents his whole hero-ing career and knew exactly how to avoid being rendered helpless. Three more footsoldiers had simultaneously tackled Wild and were doing their best to pin him down. They were having slightly more success.

 

Warrior barged straight into Wind’s opponent, snatching Wind out of their hold and kicking the Yiga’s legs out from under them. He left Wind to finish them off and went to help Wild.

 

Wild had managed to kick two of the Yiga off and away, but the last one was proving more tricky. Just as Warrior got there, smacking one of the recovering enemies in the gut and knocking the air out of them, a wickedly sharp sword buried itself in Wild’s arm. It went straight through, sinking into the earth and pinning Wild in place.

 

Wild didn’t make a sound, instead going abruptly and horribly pale. A swing from a club directly to the side of the head took him out of battle, body falling limp and unconscious.

 

Warrior launched himself at the Yiga, diving over Wild’s momentarily helpless form with his sword flashing in the sun. Having buried its primary weapon into Wild, the Yiga had no choice but to hurriedly retreat before they could be skewered. As Warrior was swinging around, preparing to spin attack and clear the immediate area so he could help Wild, there was an explosion of sulphur-filled smoke right in his face.

 

It cleared just enough to show footsoldier after footsoldier surrounding him. There was a split second where nobody moved, white masks staring blankly at Warrior, orienting themselves.

 

Then, as one, they pounced.

 

He was quickly overwhelmed, taken down to his knees within moments, crouched as best he could over Wild to stop them reaching him. The others were yelling, some still engaged with their own battles while others had managed to break away and were racing over to help. Gloved hands clawed and yanked at his limbs, trying to get a firm hold. His sword was lost in the chaos. Wild was coming around, trying to move and yelping when he tried to move the pinned arm.

 

It was if Wild’s voice was a signal. As one, each Yiga in the immediate area dug their hands into Warrior. There was a flash of paper, burning,  _ flames, pain - _ a horrific, nauseating yank, and Warrior was thrown heavily into soft sand with many bodies on top of him. 

 

Several forms moved to secure his limbs, an unnecessary precaution as Warrior’s head was spinning hard enough to make bile rise in his throat and blur his vision. A whistling sound was all he heard before the same club that had taken out Wild collided with his own head, and he sunk into blissful unconsciousness.

 

—-

 

“...not the Hero, you  _ failures.” _

 

“But Leader, this…”

 

“No, no excuses. Your task was to bring the chosen hero here, away from his allies. Instead you bring me this Hylian. Has your training been for nothing? Can you not even recognise our greatest enemy when you see him?”

 

Every inch of his body hurt, the fuzzy throb of restricted circulation racing through his limbs. The side of his head and one ear shrieked with pain. His arms were stretched down behind him, each tied separately to something unyielding. It took every ounce of concentration to stay still and get his bearings.

 

“Leader, this is the man the spell was indicating as the hero. Magical signature was within acceptable limits and vocal print matched exactly.”

 

“And did any of you actually see his face?”

 

“...”

 

“I thought not. This is why you were not given field duty before now, your reliance on our magical arts is too great. You forget the goddess-damned Hero has lived many lifetimes and has many tricks up his sleeve to fool and distract.” 

 

There was the sound of pacing, each footstep driving another nail into the pained mess that was Warrior’s mind.

 

“As I shall remind you, once again, you  _ cannot _ rely solely on identification spells outside of the hideout walls. We have no need to hide our identities from each other, so the spells are always accurate here. But with outsiders, and with the outside world, you must use multiple methods. As you can see, even two forms of confirmation are not enough.”

 

The footsteps came closer, shuffling in the sand. Warrior kept himself limp and relaxed where he sat, bound tightly to what felt like a wooden chair. It would be far easier to pick up information if they thought he was still out of it.

 

A hand grasped his chin, tilting it up from where it rested on his chest. 

 

“About the only thing this man has in common with the accursed Hero is blonde hair.” His head was abruptly dropped. “And apparently a fondness for blue fabric. Explain your actions.”

 

There was a pause, and then one of the first voices spoke. Their voice was higher, younger, not as mature as the one they called Leader. “The locator incantation took our group to a field, where the Hero and his companions were travelling. The identification spell was not giving enough accuracy to single out the Hero, but there were three in the party wearing blue so we moved to secure the two not engaged with a Blademaster. We did not expect the third, this one, to disengage and come to help his comrades so quickly. We were taken off guard.”

 

“A dire mistake - the group has proved several times that they can fend off Blademasters with some skill.” The voice of the Leader was cold, full of disdain.

 

A shuffling sound, shoes on sand. “Yes, Leader. I take responsibility as the head of the attack group.”

 

“I will discuss this with you later. Report the rest.”

 

“One of our Soldiers was able to injure the Hero and knock him unconscious, at which point this Hylian appeared and drove them back. The Soldier had already called the restraining force in, and they moved to secure both Hylians. The magical signature of this Hylian and the Hero were mixed by their close proximity to each other, and the restraining force was confused by the similarity. The Hero made a vocalisation which was picked up on the identification spell and confirmed as correct. The restraining force locked on and transported as instructed - but they had restrained the wrong Hylian in the confusion. We did not realise this until after we arrived at base. Our force had been too badly injured to return and re-attempt the capture of the Hero, and his companions would not be caught off guard a second time.”

 

“Tch. To think that you are the future of the Yiga clan.”

 

“My apologies, Leader.”

 

“Your apologies do no good here. We have wasted time and resources on this attack, and this botched mission would have succeeded easily had more care been taken.” The hand returned, taking hold of his scarf and yanking it from around his neck. Warrior fought not to wince at the sound of fabric tearing. “You, wait for me in the sanctum. You, guard our  _ guest _ for now. All others, half rations until further notice and extra drills, as you clearly need them. Rotate guard duty, three hours each until a decision has been made as to his fate. Now leave.”

 

There was the echoing tramp of multiple people marching away in unison, one heavier set of footsteps following at a more sedate pace. A door closed in the near distance, at the end of a hallway by the sound, and one final set of footsteps drew closer. This person was almost wary, walking forward slowly and with an uneven gait, circling Warrior as if to examine him from all angles.

 

Warrior waited until they were directly in front of him to raise his head.

 

The Yiga jumped, startled. They backed away rapidly, falling into a defensive crouch.

 

Warrior stared at them, just as startled.

 

Either this Yiga was especially lanky, or this was a  _ teenager _ _._ The jumpsuit they were wearing fit the length of their limbs, but the fabric wrinkled and draped as if it was designed for someone more bulky. The suit looked well used, worn spots not quite matching up with how the footsoldier stood and moved. It was the same with the boots, scuff marks almost-but-not-quite matching the walking pattern of this soldier.

 

This Yiga had been part of the force that had attacked them according to the Leader. What the hell was the clan thinking sending in kids to attack them?

 

Okay, the Hyrule army included teenagers, but they never saw actual combat until well after they’d aged out of the cadet academy at around 18 years old or gone through early promotion to a higher rank like he and Wild had. Only the most callous rulers sent  _ child soldiers _ into battle.

 

Callous...or desperate.

 

This didn’t bode well. He needed more information. 

 

“So, were there any actual adults that attacked us or was it all kids like you?” Sometimes a straightforwardly blunt question got an honest answer. Couldn’t hurt in any case.

 

The Yiga drew themselves up, offended. “How dare you! I am a Yiga footsoldier, not some…mewling infant!”

 

Warrior fixed them with a flat stare stolen directly from the Old Man.

 

“Kid, you can’t be more than fifteen.”

 

“Hah, as if an outsider would know. I am an experienced warrior, proficient in blade craft and magic alike, with swathes of enemies left defeated in my wake. What reason do you have to doubt me, heathen scum?”

 

“Your voice just cracked.”

 

The Yiga’s hand flew to their throat.

 

“A mere coincidence.”

 

“Experienced warriors generally don’t need to boast about how experienced they are. Skill speaks for itself. Also, if you were that important, you wouldn’t have been left behind to guard me.”

 

“...Shut up. Your knowledge is severely lacking.”

 

“The specifics of how the Yiga function, maybe. But all organised groups of soldiers fall into common patterns, and you’re hardly immune to that.”

 

“There is no force in Hyrule, past or present, that matches the Yiga!”

 

“That, I can believe.” Warrior took the opportunity to look around the room, blatantly ignoring the Yiga footsoldier and hearing them let out a frustrated growl in response.

 

The room was high-ceilinged and roughly circular, with uneven walls that showed little signs of carving or construction. It was more of a natural cave than a room, the only unnatural features being a man-made wooden dividing wall and door at the far side. Warrior himself was bound at the opposite end, around fifty feet away. The room was featureless and bare, the only objects of interest being what looked like a hatch set into the ceiling and several sets of shackles hanging from the walls at various points around the room. They were all at different heights and of different sizes. Some disturbingly small shackles sat further down the wall than Warriors would have liked. There were rusty stains dotting the metal of most of the cuffs and soaked into the stone around them, dripping towards the dusty floor. The stains were layered, new overlapping the old and painting the area a deep, dark red-brown.

 

This was a well used room. Warrior was just the latest occupant.

 

He turned his attention back to the fuming Yiga teenager, tucking his horror and nervousness away to be dealt with later and doing his best to act as though he were bored. An unexpected skill that a Captain was trained in was acting, to project confidence or fearlessness when you were feeling only terror; now, Warrior was acting as someone who regualrly woke up in torture chambers and found the whole thing rather tedious.

 

“If this is how the Yiga treat their guests, I can’t imagine how you deal with those who fail you. That leader of yours seemed fairly cross that you’d brought back me rather than Link.” 

 

It was strange, saying that. Wild was Wild, it was difficult to remember sometimes that they shared not only a spirit but a name. It was the same with the others, and even with himself - sometimes he forgot that his name wasn’t Warrior, that it was only recently he’d been gifted with eight lunatic companions and a madcap journey to who-knows-were to do who-knows-what. It was amazing how used you could become to a relatively new situation, how normal and routine it became.

 

Goddess above, he missed the others already. He hoped they were safe. The Yiga hadn’t gone back after them yet, he knew that, but they could find them again. And with Warrior stuck here, deep in enemy territory, there was only so much he could do to help them.

 

He couldn’t reach them. But...he could distract, misdirect, occupy the Yiga’s attention long enough for the others to heal and regroup, for them to get away. Possibly even long enough for the magic to take them to another time and place, to bring them out of the immediate reach of the Yiga.

 

(Somewhere in the back of his mind, removed from the immediate situation, an automatic, desperate hope for rescue fought briefly against his bone-deep desire to keep them all safe. 

 

Warrior was a captain. He was responsible for the welfare of his men.

 

Now that the Yiga had him, it was very unlikely that he’d make it out alive.

 

He knew his course of action.)

 

“I wonder, is punishment less severe if you’re a kid? That other one, who led you into battle, they didn’t sound much older than you.”

 

“Feh, your ignorance is astounding. They are a soldier, as I am, and are subject to a soldiers punishment for a mission gone wrong. They were in charge, they pay the price.”

 

Warrior tilted his head to the side, a portrayal of vague curiosity.

 

“Am I likely to see them among my guards?”

 

The Yiga held his gaze for only a moment, then looked away.

 

“...No.”

 

“Death, then. Or just injury? I can’t imagine you have the forces to spare to risk taking a trained fighter out of action for too long.”

 

“And how would you know?!” Good grief, this kid was easy to rile up. Teenagers hated being proved wrong or questioned, in Warrior’s experience, and apparently murderous evil clan teenagers were no exception. Still, it made his job easier. An argument was an excellent information opportunity.

 

“No sane leader would send a bunch of kids after the man who took down Ganon unless they had no other choice.”

 

“You dare...You dare speak the name of our Lord with your heathen tongue, here in the deepest reaches of our stronghold, and insult those who hold your fate in their hands?! Are you mad?”

 

“Not sure how much I have to fear from children.”

 

“We are not children! We are mighty warriors, the pride of the Yiga clan!”

 

“Mighty warriors who haven’t had field duty before, have little experience in leading missions if your Leader’s reaction and expectations were anything to go by, and didn’t have enough fighters to go back and capture their injured nemesis.”

 

“...You know nothing, Hylian.”

 

“Oh, don’t I?”

 

“Enough of this.” The Yiga turned sharply on one foot and marched away, stomping angrily. “I have wasted my time long enough with you. Enjoy your solitude, heathen, for you won’t have peace for long.”

 

“Excellent, I was wondering whether I was going to get interrogated today. Be sure to tell someone I’m awake, it would be rude to keep me waiting.”

 

His only answer was a muffled growl of frustration and the slam of a door.

 

He couldn’t help but grin to himself a little, alone in the room. Distraction was going well.

 

—-

 

“It is quite a simple request.” 

 

He hadn’t had long to wait. Several Yiga, roughly the same height as his first guard, were in the room and standing around Warrior in a rough circle. They stared down at him, blank masked faces betraying very little. Outside of the circle, a slightly larger, likely more experienced Yiga soldier strode casually within Warrior’s field of vision. Their hands were behind their back, posture loose and confident. It was almost as if they had asked Warrior for the time, not for detailed information on his friend.

 

“You can’t genuinely expect me to just tell you everything you want to know about Link.”

 

“And why not? You could walk out of here a free man and without being subject to any...unpleasantness for only a snippet or two of information.”

 

“Ah yes, just a few little facts like all his weakness, current weapon inventory, current and previous injuries, favoured tactics, etcetera. Nothing incriminating.”

 

“Come now. It’s admirable, your defence of the accursed Hero. But surely one travelling companion isn’t worth imprisonment. Or a worse fate. After all, if you won’t help us, what use are you?”

 

Warrior couldn’t help but scoff at that.

 

“Oh please. If you had no use for me, I would never have woken up. You’d have slit my throat and left me rotting in the sand the minute you realised I wasn’t him. Or you’d have taken a blade to my chest after the first refusal. I’m worth more to you alive and we both know it.”

 

“Hmm. A fair argument. Very well, we will dispense with the pleasantries and get right to the interesting parts. Negotiations never did hold much appeal to me. Soldiers?”

 

The younger Yiga closed in, fists clenching.

 

“Gentle encouragement for now, but feel free to use your creativity. Oh, and avoid the face. We want him to be able to let us know when he’s ready to speak.” The Yiga leant forward, grasping Warrior’s chin and tilting it up. They spoke kindly, almost patronising. “You can stop this at any time you know. Really, you’re doing this to yourself.”

 

Warrior’s only reply was a raised eyebrow.

 

The Yiga dropped his chin. They sighed, whirled around and casually walked towards the door. Pausing just before exiting the room, the Yiga turned and nodded to the footsoldiers stood ready and waiting around Warrior’s chair.

 

“Begin.”

 

The first blow came before the Yiga had left the room.

 

—-

 

The first time they caught him was carelessness on his part.

 

After the Yiga had gotten bored with beating the snot out of him an indeterminate amount of time later, they had left the room and left Warrior by himself. The ‘gentle encouragement’ had consisted partially of jabs and strikes targeted at his joints where they were bent against the edges of the chair, jamming them back hard into the sharp surfaces. Combined with the reduced circulation caused by the tight ropes binding him there, it was agonising. The other blows had focused mainly on his abdomen, targeting his kidneys and liver with one Yiga going after his spleen. The blows hadn’t been hard enough to rupture anything, or so he hoped, but they had been enough to knock all the air out of him with shock and pain.

 

After the Yiga left, Warrior was able to very, very carefully check himself over, going by feel as he was still tied in place. Flexing his abdominal muscles hurt, badly, but it wasn’t the sharp pain of broken bones or severe internal injuries, so he likely didn’t have much internal bleeding. He was bruising heavily around his joints, but an unexpected benefit of the strikes around his wrists was that the rope that tied his left hand down had been pushed against the edges of the chair-leg and had, due to repeated strikes, started to fray. It took ages to break, long minutes of rubbing his wrist up and down against the edge and pausing often to check no-one was coming back, but the rope eventually gave way. 

 

With one arm now free, Warrior had managed to undo and wiggle his way free of the ropes holding him to the chair. However, in his eagerness to get loose he had kicked the chair over behind him as he got to his feet, staggering from pain and dizziness. The guard on duty heard the chair fall and called in others to burst through the door and re-restrain him. Fair enough, that had been a stupid mistake. Warrior took it with grace, not fighting as they secured him back to the chair and left the room. He even managed to give them a charming grin as he was tied back up, doing his best to project an air of nonchalance in the most irritating way possible. It must have worked, as when the Yiga left one of them kicked the chair out from under him and left him lying on the floor at an awkward angle with every one of his injuries screaming at him. 

 

The second time, he was caught by accident. He was most of the way out of the ropes again, having tensed all his muscles and puffed out his chest as they were tying him up in order to give himself some slack when he relaxed, when one of the Yiga teleported into the room unexpectedly to try and weasel some information out of him.

 

They gave up on ropes after that.

 

The third time, he almost made it. He’d been chained to the wall this time, arms bound above his head in a set of the stained metal cuffs. Even with the reduced field of movement, it had been possible to find the hairpin tucked into the sleeve seam of his shirt and, with a little manoeuvring, bend it flat and twist into the lock enough to click it open. It was a near-silent process, so with the cuffs dangling uselessly on the wall and as his legs hadn’t been bound this time he’d simply walked ( _ limped _ ) to the door. From observation he knew there would be a single guard on the other side, and so he slammed the wooden door open as hard as he could. It caught the Yiga off guard, cracking their head into the wall and leaving them slumped unconscious on the floor. After sticking them in the room and closing the door to disguise what he’d done, Warrior did his best to navigate through the Yiga hideout. He snuck around corners and past patrols as best he could, climbing and creeping above them all whenever possible, and cursed silently that he didn’t have Wild’s skill with this sort of thing whenever he stopped for breath. He’d been fairly convinced he’d been about to tumble off walkways or pillars several times, partially due to pain and dizziness and partially due to balance issues, which would have been a stupid way to get caught.

 

He’d been free for half an hour before the alarm was raised. 

 

As they knew his magical signature, he was easily located.

 

Apparently they finally wised up after three escape attempts. Warrior was dragged back to the holding cell and secured into a new, much tighter set of cuffs that quickly left his hands filled with a pins-and-needles sensation. He was given no slack, cuffs attached to the wall high enough that he was stretched out onto his tiptoes. Two guards were left on the door, inside of the room and facing him.

 

This time, the Leader came to see him once he’d been secured. While they were dressed identically to the other Yiga that Warrior had seen so far, no ornamentation or identifying markers to differentiate them from the common soldier, the way they moved spoke of a person that was used to being obeyed. The other Yiga soldiers kept a respectful distance, deferring to them and jumping to follow their instructions. Before they even spoke, Warrior knew he was dealing with the one in charge.

 

Though the Yiga’s eyes were hidden behind one of those awful blank masks, Warrior could have sworn he was being glared at.

 

“Your disdain for our hospitality is remarkable.”

 

Warrior did his best to shrug given his position.

 

“What can I say, bring held against my will isn’t my favourite way to pass the time.”

 

“We did offer to release you. You rejected it. Are you truly being held against your will if you have been given more preferable options?”

 

“I wouldn’t call being asked to betray my friend a ‘preferable option’.”

 

“All the same, the choice was there.” The Leader turned away, facing the far wall. “We have been too lenient, if you would call our earlier interactions ‘asking’ for information. My apologies. We will rectify that immediately.”

 

He moved towards the door, glancing back at where Warrior was bound in place. Warrior gave him the blandest stare he could muster, trying to hide the sinking feeling making its way through his chest.

 

The Leader nodded to one of the guards.

 

“Show our guest what true Yiga hospitality looks like.”

 

—-

 

As a Captain, he had been given extensive training in how to resist torture.

 

It wasn’t unusual for monsters to take a soldier prisoner, but their fate afterwards depended on their rank. Lower ranking soldiers and knights would usually be disposed of for entertainment or end up in a monster’s stewpot, gone within hours of capture. Rescue forces rarely (if ever) found them alive.

 

Any soldier in a leadership position, wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant or higher, were often subject to torture in an attempt to gain information on the army’s future plans and tactics. While monsters quickly bored of lower ranking leaders, the higher ranks were subject to longer and more intensive cruelties. As such, anyone wanting to gain rank in the Hyrule army of Warrior’s time had to prove they were capable of withstanding atrocities against their person and keeping information - and their comrades by extension - safe.

 

The Yiga were more creative than any monster had ever been.

 

The alarm that sounded throughout the caverns startled both Warrior and the current Yiga ‘tending’ to him, causing them to drive the knife they were using too far in and straight through an artery rather than delicately tracing deep-but-not-too-deep lines over the veins on his arm. Warrior didn’t have the strength left to scream, managing only a weak jolt of his body in response. The Yiga pulled out the knife with a muffled swear word and smacked a potion-soaked cloth to the wound, healing it to a point where Warrior wasn’t likely to bleed to death. They’d done that after every session, just enough to keep him alive but weak and injured enough not to attempt another escape.

 

The Yiga dropped the cloth into a blood-stained bucket, the liquid within stinking of copper, and raced out of the door without a backwards glance. The door slamming shut was enough to snap Warrior out of a pain-filled stupor.

 

The shrieking of the alarm seared through his head, ironically the least injured part of him. Every finger on both his hands were broken, one of his shoulders was dislocated and they’d belted a collar tightly around his neck to put pressure on his airway and restrict his breathing. Occasionally they had tightened it and compressed his airway completely, watching as his body jerked and fought against the lack of air and only loosening it when he’d slipped into the early stages of asphyxiation.

 

They’d shattered one of his knees, leaving him to try and hold himself up with one and laughing when his strength failed and left him dangling from the wall by his aching, bleeding wrists. His back screamed where they’d scored it over and over with metal combs, digging into his muscles and flaying them raw. Rivulets of dried blood ran over his bare chest and stained the fabric at the waistband of his trousers, the small but deep cuts littering his skin being jostled with every breath he took and sending more blood tricking down.

 

There was more, some that had been inflicted while he was unconscious, but he couldn’t concentrate enough to identify anything else specific. Lost in a fog of fear and confusion with his body weakened from pain and lack of food and water. But despite it all, he’d not let any information slip.

 

Every now and then the Leader or another higher ranking Yiga would call a brief halt to the torture and demand information from him. Where was the Hero, where had they been travelling, what were the weaknesses of his friends, what weapons did they hold. Warrior had initially responded with sarcasm and ludicrous claims, then with swearing and taunts when it became more difficult to think. At one point he’d gasped out some insult regarding Ganon and a torrid love affair with a moblin, and had been slammed back into the wall by the collar so hard that he had passed out. 

 

When he woke up, the Yiga had sewn his mouth shut.

 

After the next round of torture, seemingly designed to make him scream as much as possible through the new stitches, the Leader had returned. They’d fisted a hand in Warrior’s hair, yanking his head up and holding it still. Warrior had done his best to glare at them and the Leader had responded by reaching out and twisting his injured ear.  _ Hard. _

 

“I was so hoping you’d be sensible about this.” The Leader mused, raising their voice over the high pitched sounds of pain escaping from Warrior as they continued to twist. “I was told how you worked out that we are low on troops at the moment, clever boy. Don’t you worry,” he met Warrior’s gaze, keeping their tone light, “The soldier who let so much information slip has joined their failure of a comrade, and their bodies are decorating the walls of the inner sanctum. Really I should thank you, the rest of them needed a reminder of what happens when you fail Our Lord.”

 

They chuckled at Warrior, who hadn’t been able to hide his expression at the news. “Don’t look so shocked! With how few of us there are, there is no longer any room for error. When we were at our former strength, maybe we would have shown leniency, but now? No. They serve Our Lord better by showing the others how we treat failure, and encouraging them to work harder and more efficiently than ever.”

 

The Leader dropped Warrior’s ear and walked to the side, leaning casually against the wall and forcing Warrior around to face them.

 

“Shall I tell you something? Your friend, the Hero, killed my predecessor. Dropped him in a pit and crushed him to death with a spiked ball, does that surprise you? The epitome of courage and light, content to kill to achieve his goals.”

 

“And then, if that wasn’t enough, he destroyed over ninety-five percent of our forces when he sealed Our Lord away. All Yiga were gathered in the hideout, ready to welcome our Lord’s full strength back into the world once the Accursed Princess had finally fallen along with her precious Hero. But instead, the pair of them ripped all the malice from the world and sealed it away.”

 

The Leader slammed Warrior’s head into the wall with each word that followed.

 

“Every. Last. Yiga. Suffered that day,” They pushed Warrior’s head hard into the wall, injured ear grinding into the stone. “Our Lord blesses us at birth with glorious malice, it runs through our veins and becomes the basis for all of our magical ability. The stronger we grow, the stronger the malice in us becomes. But that day, it was torn out. The youngest Yiga, the children and infants, were killed instantly. Their bodies couldn't handle the strain. The adults soon followed, the malice so tightly woven into their bones that tearing it loose caused irreparable trauma. The only ones left?” 

 

The Leader leaned in closer, close enough that their mask brushed Warrior’s nose.

 

“They were us, the former trainees. Mainly future soldiers, a few future blademasters, but all of us with bodies that had yet to achieve an adult level of malice, as we were still growing. Most of us survived. We lived, and we grew, and we swore vengeance for Our Lord and our comrades now buried in the sand.”

 

“If you won’t talk, there isn’t much use leaving you alive for long. I wonder, how will the Hero react to the death of his own comrade? Will he wail and mourn as we did for ours?  Will he retaliate in kind? Will he look upon your vile corpse dangling like a puppet from the walls of our fortress and lose heart?”

 

“We will find him, whether you tell us where he is or not. And when we find him,  _ we will make him pay.” _

 

And those were the last words Warrior heard before he passed out again.

 

Now, alone in the room with his full weight pulling on his dislocated shoulder, he could see his vision blurring at the corners and threatening to pull him back under. He fought desperately to stay awake, jostling his injuries to send fresh pain flowing through his body and keeping him alert. Alarms were never a good thing, and some deep instinct told him to keep his wits about him as much as possible. 

 

Just under the blaring of the alarm, Warrior could hear shrieking and cackling. The faint sound of blades meeting came closer and closer. Warrior tensed, bracing himself for whatever new torture was about to come through that door. The obvious answer didn’t occur to him, thoughts muted by pain.

 

The door slammed open. A figure stood in the doorway, flames dancing and crackling behind them.

 

It wasn’t until they gasped his name that Warrior realised who they were.

 

Wild stood there, dressed in Sheikah garb with the accompanying cloth mask pulled down around his neck. Blood ran down his face from a cut at his hairline, tracing a path around his nose and across his mouth. His expression was one of blank anger quickly fading into utter horror as he took in the sight before him.

 

Warrior wanted to yell at him to run. To take the others (he could hear them, yelling instructions to each other, swearing, fighting the Yiga) and get out of here. He wanted to tell Wild to leave him, no-one else needed to get captured and the goddesses only knew what the Yiga would do to him if they caught him...He wanted to beg Wild to set him free (two ways to interpret that, but he was in so much pain that either would be a blessing). He wanted to check this wasn’t some kind of blood loss induced hallucination.

 

Instead he slumped in his bindings, last ounces of strength giving out. His eyes slid shut. If it was a dream, if he was dying, the sight of a friend wasn’t the worst thing to see at the end of it all.

 

Pounding feet, the sound of a weapon being drawn, then the clash of metal against stone and the chains were abruptly torn from their brackets. Warrior fell and was caught in wiry arms, drawn into Wild’s chest and held close as they both sunk to the floor. There were fingers at his neck, ripping the buckle of the collar loose and throwing it to the side, feeling for a pulse.

 

“FOUND HIM, GET IN HERE NOW!”

 

_ Hylia’s tits, that was right in my ear... _

 

Well, Warrior probably would have said that if he could open his mouth and had any strength left. He settled for a whine and digging his head further into Wild’s collarbone.  _ Probably not a hallucination then... _

 

There was a veritable stampede of people into the room, multiple sets of boots headed straight for them. Wild had swung his black cloak over Warrior’s back and the weight of it was comforting, a barrier between him and the rest of the world, but Warrior couldn’t help but tense up, flinch away from them all regardless. 

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck-“

 

“-get him out of here-”

 

“-most of them, but they might have back up-”

 

“-going to kill  _ every single one-” _ That last one was Legend, slamming into the floor next to them, snarling. Warrior turned his head enough to see him properly, and something in the back of his head flashed with concern over the blood in his teeth and crusting the corners of his mouth.

 

“I clearly underestimated your foolishness.” 

 

Warrior dug himself further into Wild’s hold, an action which in any other circumstance would cripple him with embarrassment. He was in too much pain for that now, not able to hide his reaction to that cruel, cold voice. Wild’s arms tightened around him and Legend sprung to his feet over the pair of them, fiercely protective.

 

“To think the Hero would deliver himself and his companions right into the heart of our lair! Did the long years in stasis addle your mind so badly that you thought you could escape here alive?”

 

“From what we’ve been told-” Time’s voice was forcibly calm, growing closer as the others came to stand around the two-person huddle on the floor. “-it wouldn’t be the first time.”

 

“Ha! Our predecessors were overconfident and unprepared. We will not make their mistakes.”

 

“We’ve just left most of your fighters bleeding on the floor.”

 

“Weaklings. I should thank you for exposing them thusly.” The Leader’s voice was growing more and more hysterical as he spoke, a spark of madness in every word. “In any case, you won’t escape now. Or did you not notice that we have you surrounded?”

 

The hatch on the ceiling had opened at some point during the conversation, burning sunlight spilling into the room and illuminating the band of heroes. Heads popped into view from above, peering down at them all, and other foot soldiers started to teleport into the room around them. Warrior could feel his friends drawing in, close enough to touch.

 

Wild lifted his head, staring straight at the Leader. A smile started to crawl over his face, settling on his lips in an icy grin.

 

“Did  _ you _ not notice the bombs?”

 

One hand tapped at the slate, hooked on to his belt. 

 

Over the sound of explosions deep within the fortress, walls tumbling and screams of pain, the voice of the Leader shrieking to his followers could barely be heard. As one, each of the others shot out a hand and latched on to Wild. 

 

The sound of ancient technology teleporting them away filled Warrior’s ears, and the blue light obscured the crazed Yiga Leader lunging for them. The world was dizziness and nausea for a few moments more, and then, suddenly, they splashed violently into water. It was all Warrior could take. Pain spiked, his vision blurred and he slipped back under to the sound of Wild yelling for help.

 

—-

 

The Ne’ez Yohma shrine activating was generally regarded as an excellent occasion, especially to Prince Sidon. Only one being in all of Hyrule could use the shrines for teleportation, and having his dear friend back in the Domain was cause for joy. Just knowing where Link was and that he was safe was cause enough for that, as this new quest of his seemed to be dragging him into the unknown more often than not. Weeks could go by without a single attempt at contact, whether to Sidon or any of Link’s other friends, before a bundle of letters would come in a rush and bring with them assurances that Link wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere.

 

So it was with a light heart that Sidon flung himself out of the throne room and towards the balcony with his father chuckling at his enthusiasm. He dived off, and had just hit the floor when he heard his friend  _ scream. _

 

_ “SIDON, HELP-!” _

 

His race to the shrine pool entrance was instantly joined by several guards, Bazz and Gaddison among them, and they all skidded into the doorway together while other guards kept the crowds back. Link had become much better regarded ever since he had restored Vah Ruta, and a scream for help was terrifyingly out of the ordinary. The whole Domain was immediately concerned.

 

Link was crouched in the water of the shrine pool with another Hylian held against his chest. Several others were kneeling or sat in the water, seemingly dazed. All of them were injured. The one in Link’s arms however...he was pale as death under Link’s black cloak, metal chains and manacles glinting at his wrists and blood rapidly staining the water around him. His breathing was haggard and laboured through cracked lips - no, wait, not cracked,  _ sewn together, _ what in Nayru’s name - and every visible inch of skin was stained with blood.

 

Sidon didn’t remember much of the next hour. If pressed, he would vaguely recall tearing through the Domain to the Healer’s rooms, the injured Hylian in his grasp and Link’s other companions either being carried or supported down the same paths by the guards. He would have remembered holding Link’s shoulders from behind, comforting him as best he could as the senior healers started their task, his injured friend floating in one of the healing springs designed for the most severe cases. He could have told you of one of the other Hylians stripping to his trousers to join them, green magic weaving in with the typical blue of Zora spells. 

 

But Sidon didn’t truly come back to himself until all of the Hylians were safely ensconced in one of the wards, once they had all been healed and had bathed and were fast asleep in waterbeds. Except for Link.

 

Sidon watched him pace, taking in the ward and quietly checking on each of his sleeping companions. It was a circular room, as many of the rooms in the Domain were, and carved from luminous stone so that no harsh lamplight was needed during the healing staff’s night-time rounds. This ward was designed for an injured unit of Zora warriors, which usually numbered at an even ten and tended to form such strong bonds that they hated being bunked away from each other, even more so when one or more of their group had been hurt. A unit ward was the compromise, as it saved the headache of uninjured soldiers sneaking in to visit their comrades and the healing staff having to chase them out. Having this arrangement also had a positive effect on the injured, keeping their spirits high and full of good humour while they healed. 

 

Sidon could only hope that it would be the case here. The most injured one (named Warrior, he recognised him from Link’s letters) would require many more sessions in the healing springs to undo the physical effects of the Yiga’s torture. The healers had exhausted themselves to heal the most life-threatening injuries (there had been a mostly-healed cut to an artery in his arm which had needed urgent treatment) and young Hyrule had not stopped until he fell unconscious. But Warrior was alive and stable as a result of their efforts, heavily bandaged and with a high dose of painkillers flowing through his system. Sidon had never thought that he would be grateful for his dear friend's habit of showing up to the Domain injured, as it meant that they always had Hylian-safe medicines available. They had been sorely needed, Warrior wincing and flinching away from the healers in agony even while passed out. Thankfully he was peaceful now, relaxed in sleep and free of pain. 

 

Luckily this ward had waterbeds permanently installed instead of sleeping pools, as some wounds required constant exposure to the air in order to heal properly, even for the water-loving Zora. Each bed would easily fit four Hylians, and with only a single occupant the size difference was startling. In any other circumstance it would have been funny.

 

It was only when Link stopped moving, hovering next to Warrior’s bed, that Sidon felt able to approach him. Link had been expressionless for the entire time he had been in the Domain so far, focused on supporting his friends and ensuring they accepted the healing and rest offered by the Zora even through the confusion of a new place and the worry over their companion. He had done his self-appointed job well, but even though he was now the only one awake he had yet to drop that awful stoic facade, and it was making Sidon worry. It never meant good things, that expression. Link was excellent at hiding his feelings, his worries (his pain as well, he never let on how badly hurt he was…) and while Sidon could usually convince him to open up, at least a small amount...this was not a normal situation.

 

Link closed his eyes as Sidon came up next to him, staring down at his injured friend and wrapping his arms around his chest. 

 

“Sorry to drop in on you like this.”

 

“Don’t be. I am honoured that you trust the Zora enough to bring your injured friends here, although this isn’t exactly how I wanted to meet them.”

 

“...I should go and explain to your father.”

 

“There’s no need, Bazz has given him a basic outline of the situation. You are always welcome here, and Father trusts your word that there is no danger to the domain. A more detailed explanation can wait until you’ve rested.”

 

Together, the two of them viewed the room as a whole. Link’s friends were so deeply asleep that Sidon doubted the return of the Calamity would wake them. Partially due to exhaustion, Link had said they’d been tracking the Yiga non-stop since Warrior had been taken, and partially due to the healing process. Healing magic drew power largely from the caster, but some of the required energy also came from the patient, and it wasn’t uncommon for both caster and casualty to fall into slumber after a healing session. While none of Link’s other friends had been too badly hurt, the healing process had sapped the little energy they had left and sleep had been inevitable. Sidon wasn’t sure how Link had remained awake, as he’d been subject to the same treatment as the others. Perhaps he had developed a resistance to the draining effects of magic.

 

_ A question for later, surely. _

 

“Link…” Sidon’s hand rested in the small of Link’s back, offering support. “You need to rest, my friend.”

 

“I know.” And as Sidon was processing that Link was actually admitting to a need to stop - “I’m not sure I can.”

 

“Whyever not?”

 

“The Yiga were after  _ me, _ Sidon. They got Warrior while he was protecting me. This is my fault.”

 

“...Link, no. You are not responsible for the actions of the Yiga, or their insane vendetta against you.”

 

“They tortured him, Sidon! He’s got absolutely nothing to do with the defeat of the Calamity, he’s not even from this world, but they tortured him because he travels with me. How is this not my fault?”

 

Link’s voice had risen from a murmur to harsh, bitten off words, spat out with a ferocity that Sidon had only seen from Link in battle, but still kept quiet enough not to disturb his sleeping friends. His fingers had tightened in the sheets of Warrior’s bed, and Sidon had to gently pry them away before the fabric ripped. Link let him do it, standing sentinel-like next to the bed and staring at the floor.

 

Then, much to Sidon’s shock, Link turned to face him and abruptly leant his entire body weight into Sidon’s abdomen. Warm arms wound around his waist, hands just about meeting in the small of his back, and Link’s forehead dug into the top of the Zora’s belly.

 

Sidon’s arms came up almost of their own accord, wrapping around Link’s shoulders and back and pulling him in closer. Link had  _ accepted _ hugs from him before on rare occasions, but mostly shied away from contact. He never went in for hugs first. But he must have needed the comfort, and he trusted Sidon to provide it.

 

It was a bitter-sweet feeling.

 

Link shifted a little in his arms.

 

“Three days.”

 

“...hmm?”

 

“It took us three days to find him.” Link’s voice was ever so quiet, carefully measured and even. “We weren’t even in this Hyrule when the Yiga turned up, we had to wait until  _ Hylia _ brought us here and it had already been two days since the attack.” Link shifted again, pressing closer. Sidon brought up a hand to stroke through his unbound hair, minding his claws. “I know what they’re capable of, we should have found a way to him quicker...”

 

“Oh, my friend…”

 

“...we weren’t sure...I wasn’t sure we’d find him alive.”

 

“But he is.” Link had drawn away at Sidon’s words, still within the circle of his arms but able to look up at him. His eyelashes were damp. Somehow, Sidon didn’t think that was a good thing. “You got to him in time. He is alive, and he will heal.” Sidon gave him a very gentle and toned down version of his usual confident grin. “You’ve brought him to the best healers in all of Hyrule. He will regain his strength, in body and mind, and while he does, you and your friends are our honored guests and will be treated as such.”

 

Sidon pushed a strand of hair out of Link’s eyes.

 

“I know what you’re like about accepting hospitality, but just this once, indulge me? Rest here, and then continue on your way with all of you recovered and refreshed.”

 

Link took a second to answer, staring at him. But then he ducked his head, hiding a wobbly smile, and pressed himself back into the hug.

 

“...okay.”

 

He stayed there a moment longer, and then gently broke away from Sidon’s hold, smiling up at him in thanks. He pulled one of the comfy armchairs scattered around the room up to the side of Warrior’s bed, dropped into it and curled up into an uncomfortable looking ball. He was asleep within seconds, upper body half flopped out onto Warrior’s mattress and face buried in the crook of one arm.

 

Sidon wasn’t sure if his words had gotten through, if Link really believed them, but having him relax enough to rest and sleep was enough for now. He took in the sight of his friend in such an odd position for a moment, and had a moment of slight jealousy that he couldn’t fall asleep that quickly, before going to rummage through a nearby chest for a blanket.

 

Sidon was halfway through draping said blanket over Link’s body when he noticed a movement in his peripheral vision, and looked up to see a pair of very drowsy blue eyes regarding him.

 

—-

 

Warrior probably shouldn’t have been awake.

 

He could tell by the bizarre floaty feeling at the top of his head that he was on some very, very good painkillers, a gentle fizzing sensation in his limbs indicating the presence of healing magic. Quite a lot of it.

 

But his mind was remarkably clear, if a little prone to wandering, and it was very easy to feign sleep once again and listen in on Wild and the Zora Prince he’d spoken of so often. A friend from home, he’d said, and the idea of Sidon had been a comfort to the rest of them, the knowledge that Wild’s journey hadn’t been entirely devoid of kindness despite the horror stories they’d heard about it.

 

Twilight had confirmed Sidon’s nature and sincerity, and Warrior couldn’t wait to see what would happen if Twi decided to let slip to the Zora prince that he’d already made Sidon’s acquaintance on four paws.

 

Sidon was clearly used to dealing with Wild’s tendency towards guilt over events completely out of his control. Warrior listened in (not hard, the two of them were standing right next to his bed) and made a mental note to back up Sidon’s words. Wild should not be carrying blame for the Yiga’s actions and he’d be damned if he let those thoughts go unchallenged. 

 

That could wait until Wild had got some sleep though. And luckily it seemed that both Sidon and Wild agreed on that as within a minute or so there was pressure on the side of his mattress and steady breaths becoming slower and deeper as Wild let himself rest.

 

Three days. It had felt like far longer, and he’d bet a hefty sum of rupees on Wild not stopping for breath that entire time.

 

There was the sound of creaking metal, then the hollow thud of wood against wood, and then surprisingly soft footsteps crossing the room. And as heavy as his head was, as exhausted as he was, Warrior couldn’t help opening his eyes to watch Sidon drape a blanket of ludicrous proportions over his friend.

 

It was adorable. Sidon was far bigger and brighter than Warrior had been expecting considering the Zora of his time, (though his experience with them was admittedly limited) and from the sight of all those scars have e was no stranger to combat, but the way he carefully tucked the blanket around Wild, fretting with the corners, said a lot about his nature.

 

Wild seemed doomed to be surrounded by people who would fuss over him, and he more than deserved that bit of extra care.

 

It was at that moment that Sidon looked up, and noticed Warrior was awake. Warrior did his best to muster up a smile, but the combination of painkillers and healing wounds around his mouth limited his mobility somewhat. Sidon seemed to understand anyway, giving him a bright grin and coming out from behind Wild’s chair. He knelt at the side of the bed, Warrior now not having to crane his neck back to look at him, and brought his hands up. It was a bit awkward, Zora had less fingers than Hylians and Sidon’s motions were slightly hesitant in the way of a little-used language, but he signed a very confident  _ Hello!  _ and, slower,  _ how are you feeling? _

 

Warrior’s limbs felt leaden and unwieldy, and when he did raise a hand he found it heavily wrapped and useless, but ‘Hello’ was a simple enough sign and the waggling of an open palm - ‘so-so’ - served well enough in answer to Sidon’s question.

 

Sidon frowned a little.  _ In pain? _

 

A slow shake,  _ no _ _,_ but it still set off the floaty sensation in his head and made him feel dizzy. His hand dropped back to the blankets.

 

There was a sympathetic noise from Sidon, who reached out to tug the blanket straight across Warrior’s chest. Warrior looked at him in drowsy bemusement. 

 

_ Safe here. Friends safe too. Sleep. _

 

An excellent suggestion. Warrior couldn’t help but drift off again, Wild’s blonde hair spilling across the sheets in the corner of his vision.

 

—-

 

It was mostly dark when he opened his eyes again, meandering from asleep to awake with very little effort and managing to fall asleep again within a minute or two.

 

But he was awake long enough to turn his head to the left, to see Wild still curled up in the chair and for Warrior to gently flop his bandaged hand over the back of Wild’s own. It was long enough for Wild to sigh in his sleep and the last bit of tension in his frame to trickle out.

 

Long enough to spot Twilight, furry and regarding him with quiet relief, leaning up against Wild’s chair. Long enough to focus just past him and realise the bed next to his was full of a tangle of sleeping bodies, Sky with an exhausted looking Hyrule tucked under his arm and Four sprawled out by their legs. Time and Wind were in the bed to his right when he managed to roll his head over, Wind somehow having made his way to the edge of the enormous mattress in his sleep with only Time’s arm draped across his shoulders to keep him from going over. Long enough to realise he could barely see them through a mess of light brown-blonde hair and finally register Legend, passed out on Warrior’s bed, curled as close as possible to him without coming into contact. Long enough to swing a leaden arm around Legend’s back and watch the unconscious, miserable expression on his face melt into a more peaceful one.

 

Warrior let sleep consume him once more.

 

Surrounded. Shielded. Safe.

 

—-

 

“We managed to find your armour and stuff shoved in a back room, but…”

 

It was a few days after the rescue, when Warrior was actually able to stay awake for a decent length of time. Having the others around definitely helped with that. Pinned into place by the weight of eight bodies sitting on the blankets, all of them sprawling over the huge mattress and still managing to get into each other’s space, arguing and chatting and dozing, managing to drag Sidon into it all with alarming frequency; it was more than enough to keep him distracted during the initial stages of healing when he was mostly confined to bed.

 

Clearly the Zora were on to something with these unit wards. Warrior was already drafting a proposal to implement the same in his own world.

 

He had finally thought to ask what had happened to his armour, bag and weaponry, and couldn’t help but sigh when he realised which of his things hadn’t been located.

 

“M’ scarf missin’, isn’ it?”

 

Wind winced, avoiding his eyes. He sat opposite Warrior, leaning against the footboard and worried the edge of Warrior’s tunic in his hands. As they had made their way through the Yiga hideout, sneaking in the back way to avoid detection, they had come across Warrior’s things abandoned out of the way and hadn’t hesitated to grab it all. His tunic was pooled in Wind’s lap, with his armour and other belongings neatly stacked up on top of a nearby chest.

 

Warrior nudged Wind with his foot.

 

“Hey, not y-r fault. Th- Leader took off me when I got there, not surprised ‘t wasn’ with everythin’ else. Sick bastard pro-bly wanted trophy. Don’t worry abou’ it, I’m gratefu’ you managed to get th- rest ‘f gear.”

 

It was the most he’d spoken in one go since he’d woken up in the Domain. His voice was incredibly raspy and weak, and this coupled with the throat pain he experienced meant that he hadn’t made many attempts to speak. The healers had told him that his voice box had not been irreparably damaged but he would experience pain from speaking for a while, as well as difficulty swallowing and breathing deeply at times.

 

It was worth the pain to wipe the guilt off Wind’s face.

 

Time, perched on the edge of the bed, leant over to ruffle Wind’s hair. 

 

“When we realised it was missing, there was a fairly heated argument over going back and finding it for you-”

 

“-bsolutely fuckin’ NOT.”

 

“-which I overruled as being too dangerous.”

 

“Good. Not worth th’ risk.” 

 

“...it sucks, though. It’s your scarf.”

 

“Jus’ scarf. You lot, more important.”

 

It  _ was _ just a scarf, but he wasn’t going to let the others see how much the loss of it bothered him. It had been part of the original set of Hero’s clothes given to him by Impa after he’d joined the battle against the Dark Forces, and he’d later found out that Zelda herself had made it for the future Hero well before he’d ever taken up the mantle. While the tunic and armour had been replaced several times as damage from battle became too much to fix, the scarf had always remained, sometimes stained, sometimes torn, but always fixable. It had become a symbol of his identity, a permanent reminder of his values and goals.

 

Once, Zelda had told him that she was glad he was the one who had inherited it.

 

He’d never let it out of his sight since then.

 

While he was lost in thought, Wild had apparently slipped off the bed and out of the room, as he was now walking back towards them with a cloth-wrapped bundle in his arms. Without ceremony, he clambered one-handed back on to the bed and dumped the bundle on Warrior’s lap.

 

His confusion was matched by the others, all watching as Warrior fumbled to peel the layers of cloth away with his bandaged hands. Hyrule leant forward to help him, and was therefore the first to realise what was hidden within. Multiple gasps echoed each other as, between then, Warrior and Hyrule pulled out a scarf.

 

It took Warrior a second, but he clocked the fact that this wasn’t a new scarf,  _ it was his own,  _ carefully cleaned and mended, about the same time as Time did.

 

**_“WILD!”_ **

 

“I couldn’t leave it there!” Wild had flinched back a little at Time’s harsh tone, but he had quickly recovered and was staring his older mentor straight in the eye.

 

“They literally want you dead, Wild, and you went back?!” 

 

“Most things in my world want me dead, Sky. I wasn’t going to let them keep this. I know the hideout, I know how to get around without being seen.”

 

“I went with him. Wolf senses made it easier.”

 

**_“TWILIGHT!”_ **

 

“Grump at me all you like, Time, but I wasn’t going to let him go alone and he wasn’t going to be stopped once he got the idea in his head.”

 

“And the pair of you could have been killed or captured for your trouble.”

 

“Not likely, the place is a wreck. We didn’t see a single living soul the entire time we were there. The bombs did a lot of damage, I can’t imagine the place is fit for habitation anymore. We were as safe as we could be.”

 

“Hey, who did the stitching on this? You can barely see it.” Hyrule was examining one end of the scarf, ignoring the tiny tremors that ran down the fabric as Warrior held the rest of it to his chest.

 

“Err, me? You think I’d let either of these two mend something? We’ve all seen what Wild considers stitching, and I’ve not got much faith in Twi’s abilities either  _ and before you snap at me Time I didn’t go with them don’t look at me like that!” _

 

“Yeah, it was just us two, Time, promise. Legend caught us sneaking back into the domain afterwards.”

 

“And actually, Legend, I can mend things!”

 

“Sure, okay. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

 

“Is now actually the time for this, guys?”

 

“No, that’s the Time for this - ah, fuck, I said don’t look at me like that!”

 

“...Warrior? You okay?”

 

Sky’s gentle enquiry brought all eyes back to their wounded comrade, still holding the scarf to his chest. Small shudders wracked his frame where he sat, propped up with pillows, and his head was ducked with his fringe falling over his face. 

 

Before anyone else could ask, Warrior looked up, damp-eyed, and shot out an arm. Snagging Wild around the back of his neck, he yanked him forward into as tight a hug as he could manage. And as much as his throat was killing him, Warrior managed to whisper two more words.

 

“ _ Thank you.” _

 

There was only the briefest flicker of tension before Wild melted into the hug in a way he wouldn’t have done even a few weeks ago.

 

“Least I could do. Thought it would make a good start, anyway.”

 

Warrior pulled back a little at that, frowning at Wild in confusion. Luckily Wild correctly interpreted Warrior’s  _ ‘the fuck does that mean’ _ expression and hastened to continue.

 

“Start of an apology? For getting you captured an-OW, FUCK.”

 

Because the  _ second _ Warrior realised where he was going with that, he’d smacked Wild around the head. Hard. So hard in fact, that he’d felt the sting of it even through the layers of bandages and was now cradling his hand to his chest and hissing at the pain. This didn’t stop him from looking over at the others, imploring someone to step in here and explain what his throat was physically preventing from doing so.

 

“Oh, for- Wild, this wasn’t down to you, you moron.” Thank you, Legend.

 

“Yes it was! The Yiga were after me, this is my era-”

 

“-and neither of those things matter.” Hyrule piped up, taking Warrior’s hand to feel if any damage had been done. “How many times has one of us got hurt away from home? Hell, weren’t we in my world when that cave-in happened and the two of you got trapped underground? You never blamed me for that.”

 

“Yeah, but that’s different, you don’t have cave systems out for your blood.”

 

“Honestly, in my time? Wouldn’t shock me. Everything else is.”

 

“Okay, putting aside how awful your respective worlds are, literally no-one blames you for this.” Four was perched on the footboard, feet just about reaching the mattress, and had fixed Wild with a stern glare. “It’s not like you threw Warrior at the Yiga and said ‘have at it’.”

 

Warrior made an expansive gesture at this, indicating Four as if to say  _ ‘Yes, exactly’. _

 

“But he was defending me!” Wild turned back to Warrior, desperation plastering his features. “You were defending me, and they were going to kill you because of that!” He dropped his face into his palms, fringe falling over to hide his eyes in the same way Warrior had done minutes earlier. “If we hadn’t switched worlds when we did, if we’d taken any longer to find you, they’d have fucking tortured you to death because you know me, I can’t…” There was a long, shuddering intake of breath, and that prompted Warrior to pull Wild back into a hug. Twilight had started to move almost before Wild had begun speaking, and had clambered into the gap between Wild and the headboard to offer support. Time had moved from the end of the bed to Wild’s other side, wrapping an arm around his waist. Between the three of them, Wild was well and truly enveloped, and it was perhaps this that allowed the worst of Wild’s thoughts to slip free from the deepest recesses of his mind, dripping from between his lips like poisoned ink and staining the air in the tiny gap between their bodies.

 

“You’ve been dead. Just gone, forever. Because of my enemies, in my world. And it would have been my fault.”

 

There was a pause, everyone frantically trying to find the words to refute this. To find a way to reassure, to drive away the dull finality in Wild’s voice, the belief he held that this was all, indeed, his doing.

 

There were soft footsteps, slowly approaching from the doorway, and then a pair of large, heavy hands on Wild’s shoulders.

 

“You aren’t responsible for what path an insensate, murder-driven cult chooses to follow. They are the only ones who carry blame. You did not ask for this, and it isn’t your fault.”

 

Sidon’s voice was low and steady, as solid as the luminous stone that the Domain was built on. He was a prince, and it showed more than ever in that moment, the absolute authority and belief in his words echoing through them all like an irrefutable truth. Sidon’s hands squeezed gently at Wild’s shoulders.

 

“What you are responsible for, however, is that young Warrior is whole and healing. Without you to find him, he would not have lived to see another day.”

 

The hug tightened, Warrior trying desperately to drive the point home, to convey what Sidon had been able to put into words.

 

And between the hug, his mentors on either side, and the group of friends (Hylian and Zora both) that had drawn closer in solidarity, Wild started to believe them.

 

—-

 

It would be a long road to recovery.

 

Oh, the physical wounds healed well over the next two weeks, aided by time spent in the healing springs and with experienced healing staff taking it in turns to send targeted magic through the wounds, knitting together cartilage and blood vessels. Hyrule spent more time asleep than awake in the first couple of days, expending himself to battle infected tissue and fever while Warrior slipped in and out of lucidity. The Yiga hadn’t been concerned with hygienic use of tools, unsurprisingly. But by day three the battle had been won and Warrior was able to stay awake for longer periods of time, fully alert.

 

His hands healed quickly, requiring only the bare minimum of physical therapy to ensure the bones set correctly. By the time they left the Zora domain he had his full range of motion and dexterity back, for which he was thankful. His knee required a little more effort but that too returned to its former state, with the only sign it had been injured being a series of stabbing pains when they’d been walking for long periods of time (which, on noticing this, made everyone else scramble around to find an excuse to take a quick break whenever Warrior looked a bit uncomfortable) and, oddly, a lingering ache before rainfall. It was disturbingly accurate too, so much so that everyone quickly learnt to find shelter if Warrior started eyeing the clouds.

 

The thing that would take the most time would be his mind. 

 

Warrior was no stranger to the ill effects of pain, both on the body and brain, as his world had been embroiled in war against monster forces for as long as he could remember. You didn’t rise to the rank of Captain without going through hell on the way. Long term physical pain, headaches, flashbacks, sleeplessness and seemingly random aggression or irritability were all familiar demons. His experiences in the Yiga hideout were just fresh additions to the lineup and he had ways of dealing with them - whether these were healthy or not was neither here nor there.

 

But he hadn’t expected to develop anything else. The anxiety was new - open fields and plains would cause him to frantically count the others over and over to make sure they were all still there, doing his best to keep them all in his line of sight. If they were all there, the Yiga didn’t have them. It felt silly, irrational, and deadly serious all at once, but much to his relief, he wasn’t the only one who did this. It was a long established habit of Wild and Time to count them all, especially when they entered a new area, but Wild’s counts had increased in frequency to the point that he was checking the group over at multiple points in an hour. Several times Wild or Warrior had started a count, only to realise the other had just finished one and they would look to each other for confirmation that the group was all present and correct. It was hard to feel  _ too _ crazy when your friend was going through the same motions.

 

Deserts were a complete no go. By some twist of fate the only sand they came across from that point on was attached to a beach, and luckily that didn’t hold the same associations for Warrior. He would have been very upset if he hadn’t been able to enjoy the sea anymore, especially when they found themselves back at Outset Island for a few days. While he knew Wind wouldn’t have minded Warrior holing up in his house until they left again, to not be able to enjoy the brief respite with Wind’s family would have felt incredibly cruel. 

 

All the bananas in Wild’s slate met a fiery end just outside of the Domain while Warrior was recovering. For weeks, anyone passing by that area was hit by the most atrocious smell of burnt peel and acrid smoke.

 

By unanimous decision, travellers on the road were avoided at all costs, and Warrior would instantly be surrounded by overprotective teammates if someone unknown approached the group. Even if it was usually complete overkill and unnecessary to boot, the sight of Sky or Four or Hyrule standing between him and a random, freaked out traveller with swords unsheathed was very reassuring. 

 

He had been told, of course, to expect some new behaviours and reactions. The Zora were not just specialists of physical healing, but of mental healing as well. Warrior had spent quite a few hours with a Zora Elder named Hedren, a no-nonsense mind healer who was excellent at getting Warrior to analyse and explore various memories without being patronising about it. They’d gone through the memories together, acknowledging the situation and the feelings that had arisen from it and then, one by one, setting the memories aside. Hedren encouraged him to express his feelings and didn’t judge him for the anger and frustration that sometimes arose as part of the process.

 

It had helped quite a bit actually, as hesitant as he had been to see a mind healer at first, to talk it through with someone experienced. Hedren had been a soldier himself, his gruff exterior hiding a camaraderie familiar to anyone who had served their people in battle, and he had experienced trauma himself many times over. He’d actually gone into mind healing as a profession after he was forced to take medical retirement - a battle with the Lizalfos had left him with partial vision loss - and found a great deal of satisfaction in helping other soldiers the way a mind healer had once helped him.

 

Hedren helped Warrior work out some strategies, healthy ones, for continuing to work through the trauma on the road. The key thing had been to return to his usual routine, such as it was, to accept that his equilibrium would take time to return and to let his friends support him. All sound advice, and disregarding a few stumbling blocks along the way, it worked. His impulsive and anxiety based reactions lessened over time, the memories were far less likely to be triggered by seemingly innocuous events, and he was able to speak about what happened without going into a spiral of panic.

 

Being back on the road with the others was the biggest help. Trauma of some kind was par for the course with this lot, and he was never treated as less capable than before. The others were protective, yes, the same way they'd been after Wind’s experience in the cave or Twilight’s injury, and they fussed over him a ridiculous amount for a while, but he was never mollycoddled. He was still treated as the experienced leader and champion of courage that he was, never kept out of a fight or a discussion about strategy, and that, over everything, helped the most. They were his friends, and they understood. 

 

Their opinion of him  _ mattered, _ dammit. 

 

They didn’t see him as lesser, and he’d never be able to express to them how grateful he was.

 

—-

 

There was nothing quite like stumbling across a hot spring.

 

They seemed to be a feature of every version of Hyrule, some more hidden than others but always present somewhere. Hyrule Castle was usually built on a rather substantial one, providing hot water on demand to the royal residents, and major cities tended to pop up around them like an oasis in the desert. But there were still many more out in the untamed lands just like this one, bubbling away and forming pond-like pools of beautiful aqua water, fading to a deeper, gem-like sapphire at the centre. Half-sunken rocks and boulders sat shrouded by steam, worn to a smoothness by years of gently flowing water. Trees and ferns bracketed the pools, deep green leaves turned verdant and bright as sunlight shone through them, illuminating the delicate veins. A little slice of natural perfection.

 

And, as it happened, just the right size for nine travel-worn heroes to take a break.

 

Clothes and armour were quickly shed, bags hung in the branches of a nearby tree. The peaceful stillness was abruptly broken, sending dragonflies darting away like flashes of light against glass, and the forest clearing was quickly filled with an effervescent joy and splashes of water.

 

Warrior lounged back against the wall of the pool, arms spread out along the side and seated on a convenient ledge of stone a little under the surface of the water. With the warm water lapping around his waist, his arms resting on the cool, slightly damp grass edging the hot spring and the mid-day sun beaming down and glittering off the ripples caused by his friends splashing about, it was the most calm and relaxed he’d felt since Zora’s Domain a few weeks back. Letting out a deep, satisfied sigh, he fiddled idly with the grass under his fingers and scanned over the rest of the group.

 

While everyone else had taken the opportunity to soak and unwind, not wanting to do anything more strenuous than doze and chat, Wind had somehow picked up that Four wasn’t the most confident swimmer, ( _ “I  _ **_can_ ** _ swim, Wind, I’m just not great at it! I get cold way too easy for it to be any fun. The four of us nearly passed out swimming through Lake Hylia back when we were looking for the shrine maidens.” _ ) and had decided that now was a good time to build up his skills. He’d managed to talk Legend into helping, and two youngest members of the group were now in a friendly competition to see who could dive and pick up the most rupees off the bottom of the spring. Legend was kicking his feet in the water, repeatedly scattering a handful of green rupees in for them and keeping score of who’d found the most so far. He’d put a blue rupee in the last batch for bonus points, and much to his amusement both Wind and Four were getting increasingly confused at their inability to find it. Warrior could see the outline of it tucked in Legend’s tunic sleeve. He wondered how long it would be before they cottoned on.

 

With a quiet snigger, Warrior looked over the group again. Wild had moved into the middle of the pool where the water was deeper and was attempting to pull his hair out of its usual ponytail. The tie he used to keep it secure was proving difficult to remove, and it only took a few moments of Wild yanking at it in frustration before Warrior felt the need to intervene.

 

“Okay, it is physically painful to watch you do that. You want a hand?”

 

“Nah, it’s fine.” Wild frowned into the middle distance, trying to tug the knot loose once again. When this proved unsuccessful again, his gaze wandered over to where they’d all left an assortment of daggers and small knives stuck in the ground, just in case. His expression turned contemplative.

 

“Ah, no! You aren’t cutting it out.”

 

“It’s not like I haven’t done it before.”

 

“Goddess above, I don’t want to picture it. Just get over here, I’ll sort it out.”

 

Wild hesitated, fingers still tangled at the back of his neck, and Warrior honestly though he was going to turn him down before Wild sighed and made his way over. There was a pillar of rock just in front of Warrior, sitting lower in the water than his own ledge, and Wild swung himself on to it with the air of someone waiting for the axe to fall.

 

“Oh come on, it’s not like I’m going to rip your ponytail off. Give me some credit here.” Warrior picked at the tie carefully, finding where strands of hair had wrapped around the leather and formed a tangle of Gordian proportions. He managed to work the knot of the tie loose, sliding the whole thing free with minimal tugging and handing it to Wild before reaching out to stop him from moving away again.

 

“Hang on, your hair is a bloody state. At least let me get the bigger knots out.”

 

Warrior knew it was a bit of an ask. Wild didn’t let anyone near his hair, he couldn’t stand people touching it and would often tuck his ponytail under his cloak when they entered a town or anywhere with a large number of people. There was always at least a few that felt the need to comment on the length of his hair, and one or two brave souls who would try and grab or stroke it. It was usually done with no malice aforethought, but it was rude nonetheless and would always result in an overly handsy villager facing a snappish Wild and judgemental looks from the rest of the group.

 

So it was a surprise when, after a second, Wild slid back onto the pillar. The water lapped around the top of his chest, soaking into the length of his hair and turning it a darker, tarnished gold. It clung to the tense line of his shoulders in thick strands. 

 

Warrior, deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, snagged his washbag from where it sat in the grass next to his dagger to pull out a shampoo bar and a wooden comb. Lathering up his hands, he sat forward to touch Wild’s shoulder in warning before he ran his fingers through the length of his friend's hair. Wild still jumped, making Warrior wince a little, but didn’t offer any protest as Warrior set about detangling the biggest knots. Soapy fingers made it easier, strands sliding free of each other and parting easily between the teeth of the comb. When Wild had fully relaxed, the tension in his frame ebbing away the longer he sat there, Warrior took the opportunity to comb through the rest of his hair. By the time he was finished, Warrior had found several leaves and even a small twig caught in it, had pried free several knots of impressive size, and had directed Wild to slip off the pillar and rinse the shampoo out twice before he was happy that he’d caught everything. Wild’s hair now lay clean and soft over his shoulders, the top of it drying slowly to a familiar bright blonde in the sunlight while the rest waved gently in the spring water.

 

Warrior squeezed Wild’s shoulder gently to let him know he was done, but Wild didn’t move away. Instead he leaned back a little against Warrior’s legs, frame relaxed, and turned just enough to shoot him a grateful look and a quiet “Thanks.”

 

“Any time, just have to ask.” Warrior nudged him with a foot, leaning back into the bank of the spring, and together they watched Legend double over from laughter at the increasing frustration of Wind and Four. As the pair of them took their revenge, dragging a still partially clothed Legend into the water, Warrior just about heard Wild murmur “I might just do that.”

 

Warrior grinned and let the combination of the heat of the spring and the chorus of laughter at Legend’s plight lull him into a doze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that chapter was long af. it was a tough one to write, so I hope you found it worth the wait. I do feel bad for how much I've put Warrior through in this, but honestly i'm not being especially kind to any of my boys here so.
> 
> Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the kudos, comments and general love I have received on this fic. It really has made all the struggle of getting this chapter out worth it to know I have such support behind me, and it means more than you'll ever know.
> 
> Special shoutout here to the fabulous being that is DF-chan. They have made what I can only describe as INCREDIBLE fanart for chapters one and two, which hopefully by the time you read this I will have now linked on their respective chapters for all to see. Thank you so much my friend, you are the superb.
> 
>  
> 
> Red notes, away:
> 
> YIGA CLAN BULLSHIT INCOMING - for ages this was the only thing sitting on the google docs page for this chapter. Sums it up well 
> 
> how in the name of Cheddar-flavoured Christ do I start this chapter?
> 
> I’m using people here as shorthand for any benevolent race of beings in the Zeldaverse that are organised into a recognisable society: Hylian, Zora, Sheikah etc.
> 
> WHY DOES THIS CHAPTER HATE ME WHHHYYYY
> 
> I sure hope google doesn’t think I’m a serial killer 
> 
> Who knew there’d be so many articles on medieval torture devices
> 
> Yup, torture is fucking awful to write, see this is why this chapter took so long IM SO SORRY WARRIOR
> 
> Behold the only medieval torture I could bring myself to include, combing! It was a real thing in a few different cultures look it up its grim af
> 
> Aaaaaand he’s been Loki’d but not in a fun way
> 
> Look at all that monster and Yiga world building that hopefully doesn’t nick anything from any other established fan works 
> 
> sure they’re evil but they are also now mostly dead and I feel like an arsehole
> 
> SIKE NO I DONT YHESE GUYS ARE EVIL
> 
> time for BADASS RESCUE
> 
> wild’s friends totally let each other know when they’ve heard from him so the others don’t think he’s dead don’t even @ me. Zelda included
> 
> Sidon is such a sweetheart I love writing him
> 
> Wild totally doesn’t believe him but that’s okay, when Sidon teams up with the others he’ll have no choice 
> 
> Y’all want to know what was holding this fic up? THIS SCENE. IT WAS SUCH A HARD FUCKING SCENE TO WRITE, THESE BOYS ARE MORONS WHO CAN’T EMOTE LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE
> 
> Sidon will appear again as the goofy lovable soul he is, but it didn't fit right with the tone of the story to have him SUPA PUMPED so that'll have to wait for Fic 3 in this universe
> 
> Please don’t judge the therapy stuff too harshly - I’ve been to therapy but not for PTSD/trauma so while I’ve researched, it may not be accurate
> 
> Yes this scene was a thinly veiled excuse to have Warrior sort out Wild's hair, why do you ask?


End file.
